GIFT   OF 
MICHAEL  REE^E 


- 


THE 

HISTORT  OF  NORTH  AMERICA 

Guy  Car  let  on  Lee^  Ph.  D. 

of 
"Johns  Hopkins  and  Columbian  Universities ,  Editor 


LIBRARY    EDITION 


OF    WHICH    THIS    SET    IS 


NUMBER 


CHRISTOPHER    COLUMBUS 


After  the  painting  by  an  unknown  artist,  now  in  the  Museo 
Naval  at  Madrid. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  NORTH  AMERICA 

VOLUME  ONE    DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLO 
RATION 


BY 

ALFRED    BRITTAIN 

Author  of :  The  Spanish  Conquest  of  Mexico  j  Ocean  Voyages  in  the 
Fifteenth  Century;  The  Exploration  of  Northern  America;  Trans 
portation  in  the  Civil  War,  etc.,  etc. 

IN   CONFERENCE  WITH 

GEORGE    EDWARD    REED,    LL.  D.,  S.  T.  D. 

PRESIDENT  OF  DICKINSON  COLLEGE 
SOMETIME  LIBRARIAN   OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,    ETC.,  ETC. 


PRINTED   AND    PUBLISHED   FOR    SUBSCRIBERS   ONLT  BY 
GEORGE   EARR1E  &   SONS,  PHILADELPHIA 


COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BY  GEORGE  BARRIE  &  SONS 
Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London. 


DEDICATED 

TO  THE 

AMERICAN  HISTORICAL  ASSOCIATION 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

"  THERE  is  no  comprehensive  history  of  America  from  the 
discovery  to  the  present  time,"  wrote  Albert  Bushnell  Hart 
and  Edward  Channing,  professors  in  Harvard  University, 
when  in  1896  they  published  their  Guide  to  American  His 
tory.  This  statement  was  as  true  yesterday  as  it  had  been 
for  fifty  years  and  more  before  it  was  uttered  by  its  learned 
authors.  General  readers  may,  however,  doubt  the  accu 
racy  of  the  assertion  above  quoted,  for  to  their  minds  will 
come  the  names  of  America's  great  historians — Bancroft, 
Hildreth,  Winsor,  Von  Holtz,  Parkman,  McMaster,  Fiske, 
Rhodes,  and  Schouler.  An  examination  of  the  works  of 
these  authors — whose  names,  it  is  to  be  regretted,  are  more 
familiar  to  the  average  reader  than  the  contents  of  their 
histories — will  demonstrate  the  fallacy  of  the  objection  to 
the  statement  that  there  is  not  a  comprehensive  history  of 
America  in  existence.  All  these  authors  treat  limited  periods 
of  American  history;  for  example,  Bancroft  brings  his  narra 
tive  to  1789,  Hildreth  to  1821,  and  Winsor  to  1840. 

Perhaps  the  statement  will  be  made,  in  contradiction  to 
that  of  Professors  Hart  and  Channing,  that  there  are  several 
"general  histories  of  America"  before  the  public.  This  is, 
in  a  measure,  correct,  but  the  term  genera/  is  not  here  synony 
mous  with  comprehensive,  and  the  works  can  no  more  be 
described  as  comprehensive  than  as  accurate.  They  are 
neither  one  nor  the  other,  and  are  unworthy  of  serious 
consideration. 


vi  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

It  is  indeed  remarkable  that  such  a  state  of  facts  exists 
and  that  so  patriotic  a  people  as  Americans  have  no  work 
in  which  they  may  read,  in  continuous  narrative,  the  details 
of  the  comparatively  short  but  strikingly  eventful  history  of 
their  country  or  of  that  of  their  neighbors  to  the  north  and 
the  south.  The  average  American  reads  his  history  by 
periods.  He  is  fairly  well  informed  as  to  the  Civil  War 
and  knows  something  of  the  Revolution,  but  little  or  noth 
ing, — with  the  possible  exception  of  matters  of  local  or 
individual  interest, — save  what  he  has  gained  from  historical 
novels,  of  the  flow  of  events  between  these  two  great  turn 
ing  points  of  national  life.  He  has,  in  consequence,  no 
historical  perspective  and  has  slight  conception  of  American 
history  in  its  connection  with  that  of  the  world  or  of  the 
interrelations  of  State  history.  The  Landing  of  the  Pil 
grims  or  the  Settlement  of  Jamestown, — this  too  often 
determined  by  the  residence  of  the  reader, — Bunker  Hill, 
or  the  Surrender  of  Cornwallis,  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence, — never  the  Adoption  of  the  Constitution, — the 
War  of  1812,  the  Mexican  War,  the  Civil  War,  the  Battle 
of  San  Juan,  and  the  Capture  of  Manila — seem  to  be  the 
boundary  stones  of  his  historical  knowledge;  and  except  in 
rare  instances,  unless  personal  experience  gives  information, 
they  are,  as  a  rule,  mere  names. 

But  this  lack  of  knowledge  begins  to  be  supplied,  because 
of  spreading  interest  in  history.  Throughout  the  United 
States  there  are  thousands  of  men  enthusiastically  working 
upon  historical  subjects.  These  students — and  they  are 
found  in  all  walks  of  life — have  not  only  stimulated  histor 
ical  interest,  but  have  in  many  cases  created  it,  and  to-day 
by  individual  efforts  and  by  that  of  historical  societies  have, 
throughout  the  country,  made  history  the  most  popular 
subject  of  advanced  study.  When  we  speak  thus  of  history 
we  do  not  limit  the  term  to  any  one  of  its  particular  fields, 
but  include  within  its  scope  sociology,  economics,  politics, 
civics,  and  all  those  other  divisions  that  give  to  history  its 
life  and  make  it  more  than  a  record  of  military  operations 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  vii 

or  diplomatic  activities.  It  is  true  that  this  broad  concep 
tion  of  history  is  one  which  students  in  its  various  divisions 
seek  to  modify  by  asserting  preeminence  for  this  or  that 
branch  of  the  history  in  which  they  are  particularly  inter 
ested,  but  the  fact  remains  that  ethnology,  sociology,  eco 
nomics,  politics,  and  a  dozen  other  subjects  are  so  bound 
together,  so  united  in  one  whole,  that  the  history  of  the 
people  includes  them. 

The  statement  that  we  have  quoted  in  our  opening  para 
graph  but  voiced  the  need  that  was  appreciated  throughout 
the  scholastic  world.  All  students  desired  a  comprehen 
sive  history  of  America.  The  stimulus  given  to  historical 
writing  by  the  lack  of  such  a  work  found  result  in  the 
activity  of  many  authors,  but,  curiously  enough,  not  in  at 
tempts  to  produce  the  work  needed,  but  to  supply  mate 
rials  from  which  it  might  be  constructed.  For  example, 
the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  prolific  in 
historical  monographs  and  treatises.  Hundreds  of  well- 
equipped  students  with  valuable  resources  at  their  command 
collected  and  gave  to  the  world  the  product  of  their  re 
search — the  data  buried  in  source  material.  These  mono 
graphic  publications,  usually  written  in  the  form  of  theses, 
were  of  a  nature  to  preclude  their  wide  circulation;  they 
were  strictly  academic  in  style  and  were  of  no  interest  to 
the  general  reader  and,  because  of  their  restricted  field,  of 
comparatively  narrow  value  to  the  historian.  Yet  this 
monographic  literature  must  not  be  underestimated,  for  it 
was  of  great  value  to  the  limited  number  of  historians 
seeking  information  upon  the  particular  subject  treated  by 
the  monographist.  But  the  theses  did  not  go  far  toward 
solving  the  problem  of  the  production  of  a  comprehensive 
history.  The  treatises  were  a  step  further  in  that  direction. 
They  were,  it  is  true,  limited  in  scope,  but  that  limitation 
was  not  so  destructive  to  their  popularity  as  in  the  case  of 
the  thesis  literature,  for  they  were  broader  in  treatment  and 
had  more  or  less  perspective.  The  majority  of  such  publi 
cations  were  accurate  and  had  in  them  elements  of  interest. 


viii  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

Textbooks  were  published  in  abundance,  but  from  their 
nature  they  cannot  be  included  among  comprehensive  his 
tories,  nor  can  those  standard  and  scholarly  works  upon 
limited  historical  periods,  which  have  at  infrequent  intervals 
during  the  last  twenty-five  years  been  welcomed  by  students. 

During  the  period  under  consideration  a  few  general  his 
tories  have  been  published.  These  are  confessedly  sketchy, 
and,  with  only  two  exceptions,  they  have  not  been  written 
by  men  of  standing  among  scholars.  In  these  two  in 
stances,  the  authors  have  been  handicapped  by  the  limits 
of  space  and  by  the  fact  that  no  one  man  is  able  to  write 
from  his  own  knowledge  of  the  details  of  American  history 
in  the  whole,  and  within  the  limits  imposed  by  the  com 
mercial  necessities  of  publication  produce  by  his  own  re 
search  a  comprehensive  history  of  the  United  States,  to  say 
nothing  of  that  of  North  America.  A  writer  undertaking 
the  task  must  depend  on  secondary  authorities;  and,  as  a 
rule,  he  incorporates  most  of  their  errors  along  with  their 
correct  statements  of  fact.  No  more  glaring  example  of 
this  fallibility  of  historical  writers  attempting  a  task  too 
large  can  be  found  than  in  a  recent  pretentious  general  his 
tory  in  the  compilation  of  which  the  author  was  obliged 
by  the  circumstances  of  production  to  depend  largely  on 
secondary  authorities,  with  the  result  that  more  than  five 
hundred  errors  have  been  discovered  in  a  single  volume. 

At  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  need  of  an 
authoritative  and  comprehensive  history  was  apparent;  the 
time  was  considered  ripe  for  the  production  of  such  a  work, 
but  the  commercial  difficulties  in  the  way  of  its  publication 
in  the  ordinary  course  were  believed  to  be  insurmountable. 
These  opinions  were  general  among  the  students  of  history 
and  may  be  said  to  have  had  three  separate  crystallizations : 
one  in  a  group  of  Western  students;  another  in  the  East 
and  centring  in  Harvard;  and  yet  another  in  the  Middle 
States,  centring  about  Johns  Hopkins.  The  opinion  of  at 
least  two  of  these  groups  of  interested  historians  was  that 
the  American  Historical  Association,  the  greatest  collective 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  [x 

body  of  historians  of  America,  should  take  up  the  matter 
and  give  it  countenance  and  support.  This  determination 
was  given  expression  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  associa 
tion  held  in  1899  at  Boston.  The  subject  was  thoroughly 
discussed  by  representatives  of  leading  universities,  and  the 
matter  was  put  into  concrete  form.  This  embodied  three 
general  statements : 

First :  That  the  history  must  be  "  cooperative,"  it  being 
universally  recognized  that  even  if  the  necessary  time  were 
at  his  disposal  no  one  man  was  fitted  to  write  such  a  history. 

Second:  "The  publication  to  be  under  an  editor-in- 
chief  .  .  .  subject  to  the  determination  of  the  committee 
which  shall  represent  the  association."  This  because  it 
was  unanimously  agreed  that  though  no  one  man  could 
write  the  proposed  history  or  even  be  held  responsible  for 
the  facts  of  the  whole  work,  yet  there  must  be  a  directing 
and  guiding  mind  by  which  a  definite  plan  might  be  formu 
lated,  and  by  which  the  cooperators  might  be  held  to  its 
rules. 

Third :  u  The  publication  to  be  made  in  small  volumes, 
each  complete  in  itself  so  far  as  it  goes."  This  for  the  sake 
of  convenience  and  utility. 

The  subject  of  the  publication  of  the  comprehensive 
history  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Historical  Asso 
ciation  was  thoroughly  discussed  and  then  referred  to  the 
following  committee :  Professor  A.  B.  Hart,  Harvard  Uni 
versity  (chairman) ;  the  Honorable  Charles  Francis  Adams, 
President  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society;  Professor 
Herbert  B.  Adams,  Johns  Hopkins  University;  Professor 
W.  A.  Dunning,  Columbia  University;  Professor  John 
Bach  McMaster,  University  of  Pennsylvania;  Professor  F. 
J.  Turner,  University  of  Wisconsin  ;  and  Professor  Moses 
Coit  Tyler,  Cornell  University.  This  committee  reported 
favorably  upon  the  project  and  stressed  the  ideas  of  "an 
editor-in-chief,"  "  cooperative  preparation,"  and  "  publica 
tion  in  volumes  complete  in  themselves."  The  matter  was 
then  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  council  of  the  association; 


x  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

and  after  much  discussion,  at  a  special  meeting  held  to  con 
sider  the  matter,  it  was  decided : 

"  In  view  of  the  difficulties  involved,  it  would  not  be  ex 
pedient  for  the  American  Historical  Association  to  take  part 
in  forming  or  carrying  out  a  plan  for  the  composition  or 
publication  of  a  cooperative  history  of  the  United  States." 

This  determination  of  the  council,  although  at  the  time 
it  was  uttered  it  gave  rise  to  much  adverse  criticism,  was, 
nevertheless,  the  correct  one.  The  members  of  the  council 
realized  fully  the  need  of  a  general  history.  They  were 
heartily  in  favor  of  it,  but  they  wisely  declined  to  involve 
the  association  in  the  determination  of  those  to  whom  the 
preparation  of  the  work  was  to  be  intrusted  or  to  assume 
the  responsibility  for  the  work,  thus  condemning  all  other 
works,  after  its  preparation  had  been  completed.  What  is 
more,  it  relieved  individual  effort  from  the  check  which  had 
for  several  years  been  placed  upon  it  by  the  consideration 
of  the  matter  by  the  association.  Particularly  was  the  deci 
sion  of  the  council  approved  by  the  group  interested  in  the 
production  of  the  present  work,  a  group  which  had  for 
almost  a  decade  been  planning  and  working  upon  just  such 
a  project  as  had  been  brought  before  the  association,  of 
which  most  of  those  interested  were  members  and  therefore 
felt  bound  not  to  proceed  further  with  their  private  project 
until  the  association  had  passed  upon  that  submitted  to  it. 

As  soon  as  the  council  had  decided  that  it  was  inexpe 
dient  for  the  American  Historical  Association  to  assume  the 
responsibility  of  the  plan  for  a  comprehensive  history,  two 
of  the  groups  of  which  we  have  spoken  as  especially  inter 
ested  in  the  matter  commenced  to  push  forward  their  indi 
vidual  plans.  The  result  of  these  efforts,  in  the  case  of  one 
group,  has  taken  concrete  form  in  the  present  work,  which 
its  editor,  for  all  those  concerned  in  its  production,  can 
justly  state  is  the  first  "comprehensive  history  of  America 
from  the  discovery  to  the  present  time"  that  has  been 
written,  and  that  it  is  the  only  history  on  its  broad  lines 
that  has  been  projected.  In  fact,  its  scope  extends  beyond 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  xi 

that  of  the  history  whose  lack  was  regretted  by  Professors 
Hart  and  Charming,  in  that  it  includes  a  treatment  of  the  pre 
historic  period  of  America — because  that  is  one  of  the  foun 
dations  upon  which  must  rest  any  large  and  broad  treatment 
of  American  history. 

The  plan  approved  by  the  committee  of  the  American 
Historical  Association  was,  therefore,  in  its  general  terms, 
that  settled  upon  by  what  may  be  called  the  Johns  Hopkins 
University  group  of  authors  as  the  basis  of  the  work  that 
was  to  be  prepared  by  them  and  their  associates.  Certain 
extensions  and  additions  of  the  plan  were,  however,  deemed 
advisable,  as  it  was  thought  that  the  proposed  work  should 
be  so  comprehensive  as  to  include  the  history  of  Canada, 
Mexico,  and  the  Insular  Possessions  as  well  as  that  of  the 
United  States.  It  was  held  that  no  history  of  the  United 
States  could  be  comprehensive  unless  it  treated  of  the  rela 
tions  of  the  United  States  with  Mexico  and  Canada,  and  that 
a  proper  understanding  of  these  relations  could  not  be  arrived 
at  unless  a  history  of  these  countries,  which  have  as  much 
right  to  be  spoken  of  in  connection  with  the  term  North 
America  as  the  United  States  itself,  were  included  in  the 
work. 

The  question  of  the  size  of  the  proposed  volumes  was 
one  that  had  not  been  fully  disposed  of  by  the  association's 
plan,  but  it  is  believed  that  each  volume  was  to  contain 
considerably  fewer  than  one  hundred  thousand  words.  The 
editor-in-chief  of  the  present  work  faced  the  problem  of 
inadequately  treating  the  subject  in  twenty  small  volumes 
or  of  forming  a  series  containing  forty  or  fifty  volumes,  an 
impracticable  and  unwieldy  number.  He  decided  that  ful 
ness  of  treatment  was  necessary  and  that  the  set  should 
not  number  more  than  twenty  volumes.  It  was  therefore 
determined  that  each  volume  should  contain  double  the 
number  of  words  planned  by  the  committee  of  the  Ameri 
can  Historical  Association,  thus  making  the  project  twice 
as  extensive;  and  by  means  of  new  type,  especially  cast  for 
the  work,  and  of  a  careful  arrangement  of  matter  to  secure 


xii  EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

in  a  book  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  words  the  same 
convenience  of  form  and  weight  as  was  originally  proposed 
for  the  much  smaller  volume,  and  this  without  sacrifice  of 
clearness  and  attractiveness  of  typography. 

Another  modification  of  the  plan  of  the  association  is  the 
method  of  illustration  adopted  by  the  editor.  The  associa 
tion's  committee  had  planned  a  book  that  was  to  have  either 
no  illustrations  or  at  least  few  of  them.  It  was  determined 
in  the  present  instance  to  follow  a  radically  different  plan 
and  to  add  to  the  history  all  the  illustrative  material  that 
was  necessary  to  give  prominence  to  the  points  of  the  text 
or  to  elucidate  them.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan  THE  HIS 
TORY  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  is  more  satisfactorily  illustrated 
than  any  work  of  like  nature,  and  yet  has  the  unique  dis 
tinction  of  being  the  one  work  in  which  not  a  picture  has 
been  selected  for  decorative  purposes,  but  all  have  been 
chosen  because  of  their  value  as  historical  data. 

It  was  likewise  held  by  the  editor  that  a  small  committee 
could  not  be  an  effective  aid  to  the  editor  and  the  authors 
of  a  work  that  was  to  be  as  comprehensive  in  scope  as  that 
planned  by  him.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  enlarge  the 
plan  of  a  committee  as  suggested  to  the  American  Historical 
Association  and  to  form,  of  specialists,  two  large  and  dis 
tinct  boards,  editorial  and  advisory,  with  definite  functions. 

We  find,  then,  in  the  present  work  that  the  plan  of  the 
American  Historical  Association  has  been  followed,  but  that 
it  has  been  enlarged,  we  may  say  improved,  in  the  following 
manner:  The  scope  of  the  work  has  been  extended  to 
include  the  history  of  Mexico,  Canada,  the  Insular  Posses 
sions  of  the  United  States,  and  the  prehistoric  period  of 
North  America;  the  size  of  the  work  has  been  more  than 
doubled;  an  abundance  of  informing  illustrations  has  been 
supplied;  a  more  elaborate  and  comprehensive  system  of 
committee  supervision  has  been  secured. 

The  question  of  the  arrangement  of  the  divisions  of 
THE  HISTORY  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  was  a  most  impor 
tant  one,  but  was  satisfactorily  settled  by  the  adoption  of  a 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  xiii 

method  of  segregation   which   provided   for  the   following 
volumes: 

I.  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION.  II.  THE  INDIANS 
IN  HISTORIC  TIMES.  III.  THE  COLONIZATION  OF  THE 
SOUTH.  IV.  THE  COLONIZATION  OF  THE  MIDDLE  STATES. 
V.  THE  COLONIZATION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND.  VI.  THE 
REVOLUTION.  VII.  THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  CONSTITU 
TION.  VIII.  THE  LOUISIANA  PURCHASE  AND  THE  WEST 
WARD  MOVEMENT.  IX.  MEXICO,  CENTRAL  AMERICA,  AND 
THE  SOUTHWEST.  X.  THE  PACIFIC  SLOPE  AND  ALASKA. 
XI.  CANADA  AND  BRITISH  NORTH  AMERICA.  XII.  THE 
GROWTH  OF  THE  COUNTRY  FROM  1809  TO  1839.  XIII. 
THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  NATION  FROM  1839  TO  1860. 
XIV.  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  (Part  I.  From  a  Southern  Stand 
point.)  XV.  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  (Part  II.  From  a  North 
ern  Standpoint.)  XVI.  THE  RECONSTRUCTION  PERIOD. 
XVII.  THE  RISE  OF  THE  NEW  SOUTH.  XVIII.  THE  DE 
VELOPMENT  OF  THE  NORTH.  XIX.  PREHISTORIC  NORTH 
AMERICA.  XX.  INSULAR  POSSESSIONS. 

The  editor  having  thus  determined  upon  the  scope  of  the 
various  volumes,  he  next  assigned  them  to  those  men  in  his 
opinion  best  fitted  by  training  and  interest  to  treat  ade 
quately  the  various  subjects.  He  was  particularly  fortunate 
in  securing  the  cooperation  of  specialists,  mostly  from  the 
Johns  Hopkins  group,  though  with  notable  exceptions,  in 
the  various  fields  covered  by  the  volumes  projected,  and  he 
gratefully  acknowledges  the  aid  of  the  gentlemen  who  have 
shared  with  him  the  labor  of  the  actual  preparation  of  THE 
HISTORY  OF  NORTH  AMERICA  and  to  whom  must  belong 
the  credit  that  may  arise  from  their  authorship. 

Thanks  are  also  due,  in  no  unstinted  measure,  to  the 
members  of  the  advisory  and  editorial  boards,  to  the  large 
number  of  correspondents,  and  to  the  leading  newspapers 
of  the  United  States,  for  the  great  aid  given  by  them  in  the 
production  of  this  work. 

GUY  CARLETON  LEE. 
Johns  Hopkins  University. 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE 

THE  work  of  which  this  volume  is  a  part  traces  the 
history  of  North  America  from  the  earliest  geological  period 
down  to  and  including  the  present  year.  A  volume  of  the 
series  is  therefore  devoted  to  Prehistoric  North  America.  It 
has,  however,  been  deemed  expedient,  because  of  certain 
research  work  now  in  progress,  to  postpone  the  publication 
of  this  book  and  give  it  place  among:  the  later  volumes  of 

O  *  O 

the  series.  The  present  volume,  Discovery  and  Exploration, 
treats  of  the  first  period  of  the  written  history  of  North 
America,  hence  it  is  fitting  that  it  should  be  the  initial 
member  of  the  series.  The  volume  is  of  great  inherent 
interest,  and  this  is  increased  by  the  methods  of  the  author. 
He  has  departed  from  the  usual  plan  of  contributors  to  the 
history  of  North  America,  and  has  woven  his  narrative  from 
the  very  words  of  the  discoverers  and  explorers  and  their 
contemporaries.  The  author  has  preserved  the  value  of  the 
quoted  material  as  a  basis  of  the  study  of  the  evidences  of 
the  period  by  his  method,  and  he  has  increased  the  value 
of  his  work  by  the  style  of  the  original  matter  which  he 
uses  as  a  setting  to  the  quotations  from  the  sources.  It  is 
fitting  to  state  that  the  documents  used  in  this  volume  are 
as  edited  by  the  several  hands  responsible  for  their  original 
publication.  We  are  confident  that  the  volume  is  a  distinct 
contribution  to  historical  literature. 

GUY  CARLETON  LEE. 
Johns  Hopkins  University. 

xv 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE 

FOR  the  student,  if  not  for  the  average  reader,  history  is 
a  science  which  finds  its  analogies  in  the  physical  branches 
of  knowledge;  and  with  especial  aptitude  may  figures  of 
speech  denoting  historical  methods  be  drawn  from  geo 
logical  terms.  Embedded  in  what — surely  without  doing 
violence  to  the  comparison — may  be  called  stratified  literary 
deposits  are  the  "remains"  of  the  men  who  made  the  past. 
Sometimes  the  figure  is  revealed  in  a  completeness  which 
is  satisfactory  and  sufficiently  self-explanatory;  but  more 
often  a  mingled  mass  of  fragments  awaits  the  investigator. 
Thus  from  the  annals,  chronicles,  adventitious  records,  con 
temporary  histories,  and  other  forms  in  which  any  knowl 
edge  of  the  past  has  been  preserved,  the  student  must  select, 
assort,  and  articulate,  and  not  infrequently  supply  a  missing 
part  with  a  cast  from  his  own  imagination.  This  is  the 
method  of  modern  and  scientific  history. 

It  is  an  open  question  if,  for  any  period  the  contem 
porary  records  of  which  are  unusually  illuminative  and 
the  relation  of  the  activities  under  observation  to  political 
and  other  conditions  one  of  marked  simplicity,  it  is  not 
better  to  introduce  the  reader  to  the  direct  study  of  the 
sources.  In  American  history,  the  period  of  Discovery  and 
Exploration  is  especially  adapted  to  this  method.  The  first 
voyages  to  the  New  World,  startling  in  their  novelty  and 
picturesque  in  the  element  of  adventure  as  they  were,  could 
not  fail  of  an  ample  narration.  Moreover,  these  events 

xvii 


xviii  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

were  sufficiently  unrelated  to  Old  World  conditions  and 
circumstances  to  tell  of  themselves  the  whole  story  of  their 
period. 

For  this  reason,  we  believe  that  the  most  useful  manner 
in  which  to  present  the  History  of  the  Discovery  and  Explora 
tion  of  North  America  is  that  which  translates  and  brings 
together  in  exact  and  complete  form  all  the  most  important 
of  the  original  sources. 

Of  course,  this  method  has  its  own  disadvantages.  It  has 
been  the  careful  aim  of  the  author,  in  making  his  selections, 
to  avoid  repetition,  and  there  are  many  instances  where  the 
documents  we  use  are  far  from  being  all  that  might  be 
desired  in  lucidity  of  style  as  well  as  grace  of  literary  form. 
But  they  are  all  intelligible;  and  it  may  be  reasonably  con 
tended  that  the  inadequacies  we  mention  are  compensated 
for  by  the  added  interest  which  necessarily  attaches  to  the 
narratJQrL-af  the  pamcjrjiajTtjgTij  fhe  eyewitness.  For  per 
mission  to  use  the  extracts  and  translations  herein  contained 
thanks  are  not  only  due  in  large  measure  to  Sir  Clements 
Robert  Markham,  translator  of  the  Columbus  Journal  and  the 
Vespucci  Narrative,  but  to  those  other  scholars  who  have  so 
generously  placed  at  our  disposal  the  fruits  of  their  scholarship. 

In  regard  to  exploration  of  the  interior  of  the  continent, 
the  author  must  confess  to  having  frequently  been  at  a  loss 
to  know  just  where  to  place  the  line  between  exploration  and 
settlement.  He  has,  however,  adopted  the  principle  that 
this  book  should  treat  only  of  those  journeys  by  which  the 
various  sections  of  the  northern  continent  were  made  known 
in  a  large  way. 

It  needs  only  to  be  added  that  the  author  proceeded  with 
this  work  in  the  spirit  which  recognizes  that  every  new 
vista  of  American  soil  which  opened  itself  to  the  marvelling 
eyes  of  the  first  discoverers  meant  an  added  portion  to  the 
gift  of  half  a  world  which  All-wise  Providence  presented  to 
civilized  humanity  in  due  season. 

ALFRED  BRITTAIN. 
Hobart  College. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGES 

EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION v-xiii 

EDITOR'S  PREFACE xv 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE xvii-xviii 

I  PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES 3-38 

Beginnings  of  American  history.  Semitic  race  the  pioneers 
in  extending  geographical  knowledge.  Phoenician  voyages. 
Greek  cosmography.  Strabo's  theory  of  a  western  world. 
Roman  geographers.  Geographic  theories  of  the  Middle 
Ages  and  the  Renaissance.  Ante-Columbian  discoveries  of 
America.  The  Norsemen's  voyages  to  America.  Erik  the 
Red.  Bjarni.  Leif  Erikson.  Thorfmn  Karlsefne.  The 
Vinland  voyage.  Thorhall.  Effects  of  Norsemen's  dis 
coveries. 

II  EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  THE  TIME  OF  COLUM 

BUS  39-56 

The  Orient  the  incentive  to  western  exploration.  India  and 
China  the  objects  of  quest.  The  Cathay  of  Jinghis  Khan. 
Marco  Polo's  travels.  The  Crusades  as  a  factor  in  explo 
ration.  European  invasion  by  the  Turks.  The  Hansa 
towns.  The  supremacy  of  Venice  and  Genoa.  Mediaeval 
trade  routes  of  Europe  and  Asia.  The  Turks  and  European 
commerce.  The  Renaissance  and  naval  enterprise.  Roger 
Bacon  and  the  discovery  of  the  magnetic  needle.  The  mari 
ner' s  compass.  Martin  Behaim  and  the  astrolabe.  Prince 
Henry  the  navigator.  Exploration  of  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 
Beginnings  of  negro  slavery.  Portugal  the  leading  nation  in 
the  work  of  discovery.  Columbus  favors  a  western  voyage 
to  Asia. 


xx  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


III  THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT  .  57-81 

Early  life  of  Columbus.  Geographical  studies.  Belief  as  to 
reaching  India  by  the  west.  Toscanelli'  s  letters.  Seeks  aid 
for  his  enterprise  from  King  John  of  Portugal.  Applies  to 
the  court  of  Spain.  Delays  and  discouragements.  Amour 
with  Beatriz  Enriquez.  The  court  rejects  his  petition.  Re 
tires  to  Rabida  convent.  Isabella  befriends  him.  Capitula 
tion  signed  by  the  sovereigns  of  Spain.  Difficulty  in  securing 
his  equipment.  His  fleet.  Sets  out  from  Palos. 

IV  JOURNAL  OF  THE  FIRST  VOYAGE.     THE  VOYAGE 

TO  THE  WEST 83-104 

Columbus  reaches  Gomera,  where  he  hears  of  land  seen  to 
the  west.  Learns  that  Portuguese  caravels  seek  to  capture 
him.  Falsifies  his  reckoning.  Expectation  of  seeing  land. 
Discontent  of  the  crew.  False  reports  of  land.  Further  dis 
content  of  the  sailors.  Land  sighted.  Reaches  Guanahani 
and  takes  possession  in  the  name  of  the  Spanish  sovereigns. 
Native  inhabitants. 

V  JOURNAL  OF  THE  FIRST  VOYAGE — (CONTINUED). 

EXPLORATION 105-196 

Columbus  believes  himself  near  Cipango.  The  natives  of 
Guanahani  $  the  island  described.  Quest  of  gold.  Friendly 
barter  with  natives.  Fernandina  Island  ;  its  inhabitants  and 
products.  News  of  gold.  Discovers  Isabella  Island  ;  its 
scenery,  people,  and  products.  Arrives  at  Cuba  ;  its  physical 
features  and  people  ;  sends  envoys  to  ruler  ;  intercourse  with 
natives  ;  finds  manufactured  cotton ;  natives  kidnapped. 
Alonzo  Pinzon  deserts  Columbus.  Espanola  reached  ;  de 
scription  of  its  coast ;  seized  for  Spain  ;  intercourse  with 
natives  ;  reports  of  gold  ;  wreck  of  the  Santa  Maria  ,•  a 
settlement  planted. 

VI  JOURNAL  OF  THE  FIRST  VOYAGE — (CONTINUED). 

THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN    ....   197-240 

Parting  hospitalities  of  the  chief  of  Espanola.  The  Spanish 
fortress  at  La  Navidad  provisioned.  The  Pinta  rejoins  the 
admiral's  ship.  Gold  found.  Mermaids  (manatees)  seen. 
Attack  by  the  natives.  Further  descriptions  of  country  and 


CONTENTS  xxi 

CHAPTER  PAGES 

natives.  The  island  of  women.  Leaves  the  West  Indies. 
Danger  of  the  caravels.  Columbus  sets  a  barrel  adrift  con 
taining  the  record  of  his  discoveries.  The  Azores  reached. 
Troubles  with  the  Portuguese.  Caravels  again  in  danger. 
Reaches  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus.  Courtesies  of  the  Portu 
guese  sovereign.  Arrives  at  Saltes. 

VII  THE  OTHER  VOYAGES  AND  EXPLORATIONS  OF 

COLUMBUS 241-273 

Royal  reception  at  Barcelona.  Spain  before  the  Moorish 
conquest.  Title  of  Spain  to  lands  in  the  west.  Pope  Alex 
ander  the  Sixth's  Bull  of  Donation.  Extent  of  lands  con- 
finned  to  Spain.  Treaty  of  Tordesillas.  Columbus  leads  a 
new  expedition.  Dominica  and  other  islands  discovered. 
Espanola  revisited.  Town  of  Isabella  founded.  Conflicts 
in  the  colony.  Gold  found.  Discovery  of  Jamaica.  Return 
to  Cuba.  At  Isabella  again.  Illness  of  the  admiral.  Meet 
ing  with  his  brother  Diego  at  Isabella.  Insurrection  of  the 
natives.  Return  to  Spain.  Cordial  reception  by  the  sover 
eigns.  Troubles  at  the  court.  Third  voyage.  Trinidad 
discovered.  Mainland  sighted.  Tumults  in  Isabella.  Colum 
bus  taken  to  Spain  in  chains.  Other  discoverers.  The  fourth 
voyage  of  the  admiral.  At  Espanola.  Danger  of  the  fleet. 
Sickness  and  destitution.  Gold  reported  at  Veragua.  The 
Ganges.  The  fleet  endangered.  Veragua  reached ;  gold 
mines  found  there  ;  troubles  with  natives.  Once  more  at 
Jamaica.  Return  to  Spain.  Disappointment  and  death  of 
Columbus. 

VIII  AMERIGO  VESPUCCI  AND   THE   DISCOVERY  OF 
THE  CONTINENT 275-295 

Vespucci's  claims  to  priority  of  discovery.  His  early  life. 
Hojeda  the  tool  of  the  enemies  of  Columbus.  Vespucci 
and  Hojeda.  Vespucci's  letters  and  his  first  voyage.  The 
mainland  of  America  reached.  Intercourse  with  natives.  Iti 
Island  and  its  natives.  Return  to  Spain.  Hojeda' s  testimony. 
Navarrete's  account  of  Hojeda's  voyages  :  the  continent  of 
the  New  World  sighted  ;  intercourse  with  natives  of  Trini 
dad  ;  with  those  of  Margarita  ;  reaches  Cabo  de  la  Vela  ; 
returns  to  Espanola.  Evidences  of  identity  of  the  voyages  of 
Vespucci  and  Hojeda.  Vespucci's  claims  discredited  by  Las 
Casas.  The  New  World  named. 


xxii  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

CHAPTER  PAGES 

IX  DISCOVERIES  OF  THE  CABOTS  AND  CORTEREALS 

IN  NORTH  AMERICA 297-314 

John  Cabot  advocates  northwest  passage  to  India.  Henry  VII. 
grants  patent  of  discovery.  Departure  of  expedition  from 
Bristol.  First  landfall.  Second  expedition.  Sebastian  Cabot. 
The  discoveries  of  the  Cabots.  King  Manoel  issues  patent 
to  Gaspar  Cortereal.  The  first  voyage  and  landfall.  The 
second  voyage.  Discoveries  described. 

X  SPANISH   EXPLORATION   IN   FLORIDA  AND   MEX 

ICO    ...     3I5-334 

Extent  of  discovery  in  1512.  Ponce  de  Leon's  expedition  to 
Florida.  Troubles  with  natives.  Cordova's  discovery  of 
Yucatan.  Grijalva  leads  an  expedition  to  Yucatan.  Mexico 
reported  to  be  the  source  of  gold.  An  expedition  under 
Cortes  sent  to  Mexico.  Montezuma1  s  alarm.  The  Mexi 
can  envoys  to  Cortes.  Description  of  temples  at  Cholula. 
Journey  to  the  capital.  Interview  between  Montezuma  and 
Cortes.  Features  of  the  City  of  Mexico.  Montezuma  in 
the  hands  of  Cortes.  Fall  of  the  Mexican  power. 

XI  SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR  .  335-361 

Francisco  de  Garay's  exploration  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ; 
Pineda  lands  in  Florida  ;  reaches  Chila,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Panuco  j  grant  of  Charles  V.  to  Garay.  Vasquez  de 
Ayllon'  s  expedition  ;  intercourse  with  the  natives  of  Chicora  5 
Duharhe  explored  ;  massacre  of  the  exploring  party.  Magal-  ' 
haes's  voyaged  Panfilo  de  Narvaez  leads  another  expedition 
to  Florida  ;  penetrates  the  interior ;  distress  of  explorers  ; 
reaches  the  coast ;  shipwrecked  5  Cabeza  de  Vaca  and  com 
panions  cast  ashore  ;  wanderings  among  the  Indians  j  arrival 
in  Mexico.  De  Soto's  expedition;  march  in  the  interior  j 
conflict  with  natives  ;  reaches  the  coast ;  journeys  in  the  in 
terior  ;  in  winter  quarters  ;  exploration  resumed  on  the  Mis 
sissippi  ;  attempts  to  reach  the  Pacific  ;  death  of  De  Soto  ; 
Luis  de  Moscoso  abandons  the  search  for  the  sea  by  way  of 
the  Mississippi ;  privations  of  the  party  ;  again  descends  the 
Great  River  ;  reaches  its  mouth  ;  arrives  in  Mexico. 

XII  THE    VOYAGE    OF    VERRAZANO    FOR    THE 

FRENCH      363-385 

Early  French  voyages  to  the  west.  Aubert  and  Verrazano 
discover  the  St.  Lawrence.  Description  of  the  natives  of  the 
New  World.  Attempt  to  colonize  Sable  Island.  Verrazano 


CONTENTS  xxiii 


receives  patent  of  discovery  from  Francis  I. ;  coasts  the  At 
lantic  shores  5  intercourse  with  natives  j  enters  large  river  and 
lake  (Hudson  River  and  New  York  harbor) ;  description  of 
country  and  inhabitants  j  limits  of  the  voyage.  Review 
of  result  of  discoveries. 

XIII  FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH   .  387-414 

Origin  of  name  Canada.  Jacques  Cartier  ;  first  expedition  j 
reaches  Newfoundland  and  Bay  of  Chaleur.  Second  expedi 
tion  j  reaches  Baie  des  Chateaux  j  explores  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  ;  description  of  the  shores  5  enters  the  St.  Law 
rence  5  natives  of  Stadacona  (Quebec) ;  sets  out  for  Hoche- 
laga ;  scenery  described ;  friendly  reception  by  natives  ; 
Hochelaga  (Montreal)  reached  ;  description  of  the  settlement. 
The  Sieur  de  Roberval,  Viceroy  of  New  France  ;  colony  at 
Cap  Rouge.  The  fur  trajle.  A  new  expedition.  Samuel 
Champlain  ;  firsT"voyage  to  Montreal  ;  second  expedition 
with  De  Monts  ;  third  expedition  ;  alliances  with  natives  5 
explorations  of  river  St.  Lawrence  ;  the  impostor  Vignau  ;  ex 
ploration  of  Ottawa  River  ;  sends  Jean  Nicolet  to  find  the 
Pacific  Ocean. 

XIV  FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR  .  415-428 

State  of  colonization  at  the  time  of  Champlain' s  death.  Jean 
Baptiste  Talon.  Frontenac.  Joliet  and  Marquette  commis 
sioned  to  discover  the  passage  to  the  South  Sea  j  their  journey 
down  the  Mississippi  ;  intercourse  with  natives  ;  return  to 
Canada.  La  Saile  discovers  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi ; 
takes  possession  of  the  territory  drained  by  it ;  his  death. 

XV  THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS 429-442 

The  basis  of  the  English  title  to  lands  in  the  New  World. 
Slave  trading.  Voyage  of  Sir  John  Hawkins  5  succors  Hugue 
not  colony  in  Florida.  Sir  Francis  Drake  reaches  coast  of 
California ;  intercourse  with  natives  ;  takes  possession  of  terri 
tory  which  he  names  New  Albion. 

XVI  ENGLISH  EXPLORATION  IN  VIRGINIA  AND  NEW 
ENGLAND    443-461 

The  beginnings  of  English  enterprise  in  North  America.  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert's  charter  ;  his  expeditions  ;  Newfoundland 
formally  acquired  ;  his  death.  Advocacy  of  the  American 
route  to  Cathay.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  charter  }  his  expedi 
tion  to  Virginia  under  Amadas  and  Barlow  j  the  country 


xxiv  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


discovered  named  Virginia.  Gosnold's  colonizing  voyage  to 
Massachusetts  Bay.  Weymouth's  voyage.  The  London 
Company.  Settlement  of  Jamestown.  John  Smith's  explo 
rations.  Lord  Delaware  arrives  in  Virginia. 

XVII  HENRY   HUDSON   AND   DUTCH  EXPLORA 
TION       463-472 

Hudson's  nationality  ;  his  voyage  for  the  Dutch  East  India 
Company  ;  his  course  southward  ;  returns  northward  to  Dela 
ware  Bay  5  enters  New  York  Bay  ;  sails  up  the  Hudson  ; 
intercourse  with  natives.  Dutch  settlement  on  Manhattan. 
The  expeditions  of  Adrian  Block,  Hendrick  Christiansen, 
and  Cornelius  May. 

XVIII  THE    SEARCH    FOR    THE    NORTHWEST    PAS 
SAGE       473-502 

Narrative  of  Frobisher's  voyages  and  discoveries.  Davis' s 
voyages.  Henry  Hudson's  journal  of  his  voyage.  Baffin's 
journal  of  his  fifth  voyage.  Summary  of  discoveries  and 
explorations.  The  later  explorations  of  Bering,  Cook,  Van 
couver,  Parry,  Franklin,  Ross,  MacClure,  McClintock,  and 
Kellett. 

CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 5°3-5°6 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 507-511 


DISCOVERT 

AND 
EXPLORATION 


BRITTAIN 


CHAPTER  I 

PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES 

THE  record  of  the  beginnings  of  American  history, 
unlike  that  of  the  origins  of  the  history  of  the  countries 
of  the  Old  World,  is  established  and  attested  by  contem 
poraneous  documents.  With  the  exception  of  the  voyages 
with  which  the  present  chapter  will  deal,  the  discovery, 
the  peopling,  the  development  of  America  went  on  under  the 
eyes  of  scholars  who  carefully  recorded  the  great  events 
of  their  time.  They  noted  the  circumstances  attending 
the  movements  which  opened  a  new  world  to  European 
emigration  and  commerce;  and  we  have  inherited  their 
descriptions.  There  is  nothing  vague  and  uncertain,  none 
of  the  mists  of  antiquity,  about  the  history  of  America. 
The  New  World  was  born  in  the  full  sight  of  all  men. 
All  that  corresponds  to  the  mass  of  doubtful  legend  and 
problematical  tradition  with  which  the  histories  of  other 
countries  begin  is  found  solely  in  the  notices  of  pre- 
Columbian  voyages  to  the  West.  These  latter  are  without 
great  importance.  From  this  verdict,  however,  we  except 
the  explorations  of  the  Norsemen,  in  regard  to  which  there 
is  good  documentary  evidence.  But  as  no  social  or  political 
development  followed  these  casual  voyages,  they  demand 
nothing  more  than  a  referential  treatment  in  a  history  of 
America.  What  of  importance  adheres  to  them  results 
solely  from  the  fact  that  they  kept  alive  among  the  scien 
tists  and  seamen  of  Europe  a  curiosity  concerning  what 

3 


4  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

might  lie  on  the  western  confines  of  the  Atlantic.  Colum 
bus  inherited  the  knowledge  of  certain  theories  and  facts 
upon  which  he  based  his  belief  in  the  possibility  of  reach 
ing  India  by  sailing  westward.  In  the  study  of  the  ideas 
and  happenings  which  eventually  led  to  the  discovery  of 
America,  it  will  be  necessary  for  us  to  revert  to  the  fountain 
head  of  geographical  science,  which,  like  all  the  beginnings 
of  western  philosophy  and  history,  is  found  in  that  old 
civilization  which  once  fringed  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  It 
was  there  that  man  began  to  form  scientific  conceptions 
regarding  the  shape  of  the  earth  and  the  number  and  variety 
of  its  inhabitants.  These  theories  were  crude  in  the  ex 
treme;  but  in  course  of  time  they  approached  such  accuracy 
as  to  be  of  practical  value  to  explorers.  Chief  among  such 
developments  of  the  human  mind,  and  leading  to  the  great 
result  which  we  are  to  study,  was  the  improvement  in  the 
science  of  navigation. 

From  the  paddle  to  the  sail  was  a  marvellous  advance  in 
all  that  pertains  to  human  progress.  Exactly  when  it  was 
made  can  never  be  ascertained.  Once  employed  as  a  means 
of  propulsion,  however,  the  wind  proved  itself  to  be  a  potent 
engine  in  the  work  of  advancing  civilization  by  the  develop 
ment  of  commerce.  u  The  adoption  of  sails  gave  wings  to 
the  human  race."  Light  craft,  laden  with  valuable  cargo 
and  adventurous  passengers,  could  now  find  their  way  to 
every  harbor;  albeit  for  lack  of  compass  and  sextant  those 
who  steered  them  were  obliged  to  depend  upon  their  obser 
vation  of  the  stars.  Thus  it  came  about  that  centres  of 
activity  multiplied,  and  in  bustling  marts  like  those  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon  riches  accumulated,  and  the  knowledge  of  limits 
was  widened  through  external  intercourse.  That  the  foun 
dation  of  this  knowledge  of  the  world  should  have  been  laid 
by  the  Semitic  race  was  most  natural.  Born  traders, — we 
do  not  here  refer  to  the  pastoral  Israelites, — their  situa 
tion  was  in  every  way  favorable  for  the  cultivation  of  their 
hereditary  gifts,  while  natural  curiosity  and  eager  interest 
ever  stimulated  them  to  fresh  activity. 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  5 

In  consequence  of  this  knowledge,  and  impelled  by  these 
motives,  as  early  as  six  hundred  years  before  the  begin 
ning  of  our  era,  Phoenician  sailors  doubled  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  returning  from  the  African  coast  by  way  of  the 
Pillars  of  Hercules  and  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  Not  less  re 
markable  was  the  voyage  made  by  one  Hanno,  a  Cartha 
ginian,  who  reached  Sierra  Leone  on  the  coast  of  West 
Africa,  as  the  extant  Greek  version  of  a  contemporary 
tablet  still  testifies.  The  knowledge  thus  gained  was  not 
only  an  influential  factor  in  broadening  the  vision  of  Orien 
tal  minds,  but  provided  a  vantage  from  which  the  Hellenic 
intellect  to  which  it  descended  might  take  new  flight. 

Between,  what  the  Greeks  actually  knew  of  geography 
and  those  empirical  notions  regarding  the  shape  of  the  earth 
that  formed  such  a  characteristic  part  of  their  philosophy, 
it  is  well  to  draw  a  broad  line  of  demarcation.  And  it  is 
interesting  to  watch  the  development  of  their  geographic 
knowledge  as  culture  gradually  emerged  from  the  intel 
lectual  haze  of  early  times.  Striking  is  the  contrast,  for 
example,  between  the  intellectual  attitude  of  the  Homeric 
Age  and  the  conceptions  which  were  arrived  at  by  the 
penetrating  speculations  of  men  like  Aristotle  and  Plato. 
That  the  earth  was  a  vast  plain  stretching  from  the  ^gean 
Sea  to  the  river  Oceanus  was  to  the  primitive  Greek  one  of 
the  most  natural  ideas  imaginable.  What  lay  on  the  other 
side  of  Oceanus,  the  unknown  river  that  swept  the  borders 
of  an  Atlas-propped  world?  Tartarus,  a  mythical  region 
affording  a  boundless  field  for  the  play  of  Greek  imagination. 

Meanwhile,  geographical  knowledge  was  continually  being 
fostered,  especially  by  the  Greeks  of  Asia  Minor,  as  new 
colonies  were  planted  and  the  expansion  of  commerce  im 
pelled  the  trading  classes  to  visit  other  lands.  To  the 
practical  need  for  ascertaining  the  shape  of  the  earth  there 
was  added  the  persistent  curiosity  of  the  race  in  regard  to 
lands  and  peoples  other  than  their  own ;  consequently,  his 
torians  like  Herodotus  could  not  refrain  from  enlivening 
their  narratives  with  geographical  and  ethnical  descriptions. 


6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

These  were  more  often  based  on  what  they  imagined  than 
on  what  they  actually  knew. 

Just  who  it  was  that  first  taught  the  doctrine  of  the 
earth's  sphericity  appears  to  be  doubtful.  It  may  have 
been  Pythagoras.  At  all  events,  it  was  a  favorite  idea  of 
the  school  that  adopted  his  name,  and  was  by  it  transmitted 
to  succeeding  philosophers,  including  Aristotle  and  Plato, 
who  not  only  demonstrated  its  truth  from  the  shadow  of 
the  earth  at  lunar  eclipses,  as  well  as  from  other  natural 
phenomena,  but  were  even  able,  in  a  practical  way,  to 
impress  their  views  upon  the  minds  of  their  contempora 
ries  :  For  instance,  the  Atlantis  described  by  Plato  was  in 
popular  estimation  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  celebrated 
exploits  of  the  Athenians.  This  mysterious  continent  lay 
over  against  the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  Its  existence  is  so 
enveloped  in  clouds  of  fable  as  almost  to  relegate  it  to  the 
category  of  fiction.  In  size  it  was  supposed  to  be  of  an 
area  larger  than  that  of  Libya  and  Asia  combined.  All 
through  ancient  and  mediaeval  history  the  tragic  story  of 
Atlantis  maintained  a  strong  hold  on  the  popular  imagina 
tion.  It  may  have  been  based  on  traditions  of  a  land  sub 
merged  by  the  ocean,  or  upon  some  faint  knowledge 
— sometime  possessed  by  the  ancients,  but  ever  growing 
dimmer — that  at  the  antipodes  there  were  lands  peopled 
with  beings  like  themselves,  interested  in  like  matters  and 
swayed  by  similar  impulses,  but  between  whom  and  them 
selves  there  yawned  what  seemed  to  be  an  impassable  gulf. 

With  Aristotle  we  come  to  firmer  ground.  To  him  the 
sphericity  of  the  earth  appealed  as  something  more  than  an 
idea  based  on  the  conception  of  a  perfect  form,  as  it  had 
done  to  the  Pythagoreans.  Indeed,  it  is  to  Aristotle,  more 
than  to  any  other  man  of  antiquity,  that  we  are  indebted 
for  those  teachings  which  were  destined  eventually  to  guide 
Columbus  across  the  Atlantic.  Aristotle  declared  that 
"those  persons  who  connect  the  region  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  with  that  towards  India,  and 
who  assert  that  in  this  way  the  sea  is  one,  do  not  assert 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  j 

things  very  impossible."  Then  again,  "the  world  as  known 
to  us  is  really  an  island  lying  in  the  midst  of  the  Atlantic. 
Probably  there  are  other  similar  worlds,  some  larger  than 
ours,  some  smaller,  separated  from  it  by  the  sea." 

Far  more  practical  than  either  Plato  or  Aristotle  was 
Eudoxus  of  Cnidos,  who  not  only  proved  mathematically 
the  globular  shape  of  the  world,  but  divided  it  into  two 
temperate  zones  and  one  torrid.  The  Greeks  were  able  to 
turn  such  knowledge  and  what  had  already  been  gained  by 
travel  to  practical  advantage  when  fitting  out  commercial 
expeditions  such  as  those  organized  under  the  guidance  of 
the  Ptolemies.  Great  military  campaigns,  moreover,  espe 
cially  those  of  Alexander,  who  really  opened  the  East  to 
the  West,  were  also  a  ready  means  of  collecting  and  dis 
seminating  geographical  knowledge.  Pytheas  of  Massalia, 
as  early  as  B.C.  350,  had  visited  the  amber  coast  of  the 
Baltic,  as  well  as  the  tin  mines  of  Britain,  thus  familiarizing 
his  countrymen  with  the  northern  parts  of  Europe. 

Numerous  groups  of  scientists,  not  only  in  Athens,  but 
later  on  in  Alexandria,  the  centre  of  a  new  Greek  world, 
were  quick  to  avail  themselves  of  the  rich  material  they 
found  ready  to  their  hand.  Chief  of  these  was  Strabo  of 
Amasia,  who  lived  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian 
era.  He  it  was  who  not  only  improved  on  the  theory  of 
Aristotle,  but  went  so  far  as  to  suggest  the  existence  of  a 
western  world  with  a  latitude  corresponding  to  that  of  the 
eastern. 

On  the  Tiber,  geographical  research,  independent  of  what 
was  based  on  Greek  authorities,  never  attained  to  very  great 
importance;  for,  possessing  superior  practical  sense,  the  Ro 
mans  fell  far  short  of  their  Hellenic  kinsmen  in  all  that  de 
pended  upon  the  imagination  and  philosophic  inquiry.  This 
fact  becomes  even  more  obvious  when  we  look  for  traces 
of  Roman  geographical  knowledge  based  on  pure  reasoning 
or  original  research.  Men  like  Caesar,  Tacitus,  and  Livy 
were  keen  observers,  and  furnish  us  with  no  inconsiderable 
amount  of  information  regarding  the  countries  of  northern 


8  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

and  western  Europe.  The  bare  fact,  moreover,  of  world 
empire  was  not  without  its  visible  impression,  since  the 
rulers  were  obliged  to  know  something  about  the  lands  of 
those  whom  they  governed.  Nor  were  the  long  struggles 
with  the  Carthaginians  and  other  rivals  without  their  in 
fluence  in  fostering  geographical  knowledge  among  the 
Romans.  In  Roman  history,  however,  there  were  only 
three  names  of  men  who  are  entitled  to  be  ranked  as  emi 
nent  geographers.  These  are  Pomponius  Mela,  Pliny,  and 
Ptolemy.  But  while  Rome  was  widening  the  bounds  of 
the  earth  in  a  practical  way,  her  learned  men  had  received 
from  Greece  the  theory  regarding  the  spherical  shape  of 
the  earth,  which  was  adopted  by  writers  like  Cicero,  Virgil, 
Ovid,  and  Seneca  and  passed  on  by  them  in  turn  to  the  men 
of  the  Middle  Ages.  In  this  way  it  eventually  descended 
to  Columbus. 

No  more  striking  proof  of  this  heritage  of  an  idea  could 
be  furnished  than  the  fact  that  in  1410  the  Medea  of 
Seneca — along  with  his  other  tragedies — was  published  at 
Venice;  and  in  the  margin  of  the  lines  containing  the 
prophecy  that  one  day  the  ocean  would  be  crossed  and  new 
lands  discovered,  Ferdinand,  the  son  of  Columbus,  is  said  to 
have  written :  "  This  prophecy  was  fulfilled  by  my  father, 
Christopher  Columbus,  the  admiral,  in  1492." 

Even  in  the  so-called  Dark  Ages  of  the  mediaeval  period 
the  classic  theory  of  the  earth's  shape  was  never  entirely 
lost  sight  of.  Referred  to  by  some  of  the  early  patristic 
writers,  it  acquired  renewed  importance  when  adopted  by 
the  schoolmen.  About  the  year  1266,  for  example,  Roger 
Bacon  compiled  in  his  Opus  Majus  all  the  Oriental  and 
classical  knowledge  relating  to  geography  that  he  could 
gather,  as  well  as  the  arguments  in  favor  of  the  possibility 
of  reaching  Asia  by  sailing  in  a  westerly  direction  from 
some  point  of  Europe.  Almost  two  centuries  later,  namely 
in  1410,  appeared  another  mediaeval  work  that  was  to  repre 
sent  the  scientific  knowledge  of  the  day  regarding  the  earth 
and  to  popularize  theories  until  then  monopolized  by  the 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  9 

savants.  This  was  the  Imago  Mundi  of  Cardinal  d'Ailly, 
Bishop  of  Cambrai.  It  did  not  appear  in  printed  form  until 
1490,  but  for  eighty  years  manuscript  copies  of  it  circulated 
rather  freely,  and  one  of  them — now  exhibited  in  the  Colum 
bian  Library  at  Seville — was  owned  by  Columbus. 

The  ultimate  discovery  of  America,  as  will  be  more  fully 
pointed  out  in  a  later  chapter,  was  one  of  the  fruits  of  the 
Renaissance.  The  fall  of  Constantinople  in  1453,  by 
shutting  up  the  principal  route  to  India,  rendered  the  dis 
covery  of  a  new  passage  to  the  East  a  matter  of  imperative 
necessity.  The  trend  of  thought  was  in  the  right  direction. 
Already  the  Italian  poets  were  singing  of  the  true  Hesperides 
behind  the  setting  sun,  where  gladness  and  abundance  might 
be  had  for  the  seeking.  Dante  in  his  Inferno  tells  how 
Odysseus  braved  a  hundred  thousand  perils  in  search  of 
new  seas  and  lands;  while  Pulci,  who  flourished  a  century 
afterward,  predicts  in  his  Morgante  Maggiore  that : 

* '  Men  shall  descry  another  hemisphere, 
Since  to  one  common  centre  all  things  tend." 

In  the  meantime,  while  geographers  were  theorizing  as 
to  the  possible  existence  of  a  land  beyond  the  Atlantic,  and 
the  poets,  with  their  customary  license,  were  taking  it  for 
granted,  Europeans  were  actually  going  thither.  But  these 
visits  were  in  almost  every  case  accidental,  and  never  under 
such  circumstances  as  to  make  colonization  possible,  with 
out  which  intercourse  could  not  be  maintained.  The  mere 
recital  of  the  names  and  nationalities  of  those  who  are  said 
to  have  anticipated  the  work  of  Columbus  forms  a  lengthy 
list.  Almost  every  country,  ancient  and  modern,  is  repre 
sented.  There  are  those  who  profess  to  find  in  the 
archaeological  remains  of  Mexico  and  Central  America 
evidences  which  point  to  an  original  source  in  Egypt. 
Many,  arguing  from  the  ancient  commercial  history  of 
the  Orient,  maintain  that  the  western  continent  was  not 
unknown  to  the  Phoenicians.  There  are  theories,  more 
over,  that  America  was  discovered  and  peopled  by  the 


10  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Canaanites,  the  Arabians,  the  Lost  Tribes  of  Israel,  the 
Chinese,  Tartars,  Iberians,  Scythians,  Basques,  Japanese, 
Welsh,  Irish,  and  Norse.  To  the  great  majority  of  these 
suppositions,  though  they  may  interest  the  argumentative 
investigator,  there  can  be  made  no  claim  of  attention  in 
serious  history.  Of  some  of  the  individual  adventurers, 
however,  who  are  mentioned  by  name,  it  is  perhaps  worth 
while  to  speak.  There  were  the  two  Celtic  missionaries, 
St.  Maclou  and  St.  Brandan,  who  are  said  to  have  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  at  different  times  and  separately,  during  the 
sixth  century,  reaching  in  safety  some  part  of  the  American 
coast.  The  ancient  maps  were  marked  with  the  island  of 
St.  Brandan,  a  spot  which  he  and  his  companions  were 
believed  to  have  reached.  It  was  "the  fairest  country  that 
any  man  might  see,  in  which  the  trees  are  charged  with 
ripe  fruit  and  flowers."  Those  who  are  interested  in  the 
legend  may  find  eight  distinct  versions  of  it  in  as  many 
different  languages.  The  fullest  is  contained  in  William 
Caxton's  Golden  Legend. 

Not  more  probable  is  the  account  of  Cibola,  the  country 
of  the  seven  wonderful  cities,  long  believed  to  have  been 
founded  in  the  eighth  century  by  seven  Spanish  bishops, 
but  now  judged  to  have  been  based  on  the  flight  of  a  Portu 
guese  archbishop  to  the  Cape  Verd  Islands  when  the  Arabs 
invaded  southern  Europe.  The  island  of  the  Seven  Cities 
was  also  known  as  Antilia,  a  name  which  the  Spaniards 
afterward,  in  the  form  of  Antillas,  bestowed  upon  the  West 
India  Islands.  Cibola  had  no  more  real  existence  than  the 
Eldorado  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh;  but  both  superstitions  took 
a  firm  hold  on  minds  eager  to  gain  wealth,  and  had  their 
effect  in  influencing  the  motives  which  led  to  the  final 
discovery  and  exploration  of  America. 

Less  popular  than  either  of  these  legends  was  the  reputed 
visit,  in  the  tenth  century,  of  one  Ari  Marson,  of  Limerick, 
Ireland,  to  a  region  he  styled  "  White  Man's  Land."  This 
has-been  thought  by  the  credulous  to  have  been  America, 
but  a  much  larger  and  more  sceptical  group  of  historians 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  n 

take  it  to  indicate  some  remote  portion  of  Europe.  As 
little  importance  may  be  attached  to  the  traditional  account 
of  the  discovery  of  America  by  a  Celtic  prince.  This 
theory  had  the  support  of  the  poet  Southey,  who  based 
upon  it  his  epic  styled  Madoc.  According  to  a  brief  outline 
of  the  story,  Owen,  King  of  North  Wales,  having  died  in 
the  year  1169,  a  dispute  took  place  among  his  heirs  regard 
ing  the  succession  to  the  throne;  as  an  outcome  of  the 
contention,  Prince  Madoc  fled  westward  across  the  sea, 
finding  his  way,  in  the'  succeeding  year,  to  the  shores  of 
America.  He  is  represented  as  having  been  so  well  pleased 
with  the  country,  that  on  his  return  to  Wales  he  left  some 
of  his  companions  behind  in  order  to  occupy  the  land,  but 
was  never  again  heard  of  by  them.  A  host  of  other  apoc 
ryphal  voyagers  before  Columbus  come  trooping  before  the 
mind's  eye.  We  have,  for  example,  stories  like  those  of 
the  Venetian  brothers,  Vacino  and  Guido  Vivaldo,  who, 
in  the  opinion  of  some  authorities,  found  their  way  late  in 
the  thirteenth  century  to  this  side  of  the  Atlantic ;  of  Nicolo 
and  Antonio  Zeno,  who,  a  century  later,  made  important 
voyages  in  the  waters  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  their 
alleged  discoveries  confirming  those  of  an  earlier  four 
teenth  century  shipwrecked  fisherman  of  "Frislanda";  of 
the  storm-tossed  Cortereal;  of  the  Polish  pilot  Szolkny; 
of  Martin  Behaim;  of  Cousin  and  Pizen  of  Dieppe.  Of 
greater  interest  is  the  story  of  Alonso  Sanchez  de  Huelva, 
the  pilot  who  is  said  to  have  died  at  the  house  of  Columbus, 
leaving  in  the  latter's  hands  the  journal  of  a  voyage  that 
proved  of  inestimable  service  to  the  discoverer. 

That  accidental  voyages  were  made  to  America  long 
before  the  advent  of  the  great  Genoese  mariner  is  not  only 
possible,  but  in  a  high  degree  probable;  for  among  the  flotsam 
and  jetsam  that  in  ages  past  drifted  to  the  shores  of  our 
continent  there  may  have  been  more  than  one  navigator 
who  had  lost  his  bearings  in  the  storm  and  stress  of  primi 
tive  modes  of  travel.  The  narration  of  their  vicissitudes, 
moreover,  contributed  in  no  slight  measure  to  preserve  and 


12  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

strengthen  among  the  vast  multitude  the  traditional  convic 
tion  that  across  the  seas  there  existed  unknown  lands  and 
races.  But  such  belief  was  followed  by  no  practical  results. 
As  we  have  already  seen,  Europe  is  not  the  only  conti 
nent  laying  claim  to  the  discovery  of  the  Western  Hemi 
sphere.  Of  African  pretensions  some  notice  was  taken  in 
our  allusions  to  the  supposed  Egyptian  origin  of  Aztec 
civilization;  while  a  mere  glance  at  the  map  will  readily 
indicate  the  ease  with  which  South  America  can  be  reached 
from  Africa.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to  mention  in  detail  the 
similarity  existing  between  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  two 
continents.  Turning  meanwhile  to  the  early  relations  that 
may  have  obtained  between  Asia  and  America,  conjecture 
appears  to  assume  an  even  more  tangible  nature,  especially 
when  one  perceives  that  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  Bering 
Strait  afford  a  natural  causeway,  so  to  speak,  inviting  immi 
gration  from  the  Orient.  To  employ  the  forcible  words 
of  Justin  Winsor,  "  there  is  hardly  a  stronger  demonstra 
tion  of  such  a  connection  between  the  two  continents  than 
the  physical  resemblance  of  the  peoples  now  living  on  oppo 
site  sides  of  the  Pacific  Ocean."  Nevertheless,  there  is  little 
that  is  ascertainable  which  can  be  said  respecting  the  settle 
ment  of  America  by  Asiatics,  except  that  the  conjecture  is 
certainly  within  the  range  of  plausibility.  More  striking 
than  this  is  the  alleged  discovery  of  the  Pacific  coast  by 
Buddhist  priests  early  in  the  fifth  century  of  the  present 
era.  This  ought  not  to  be  passed  over  in  silence,  as  there 
are  numerous  cultural  indications  pointing  to  their  influ 
ence  on  the  primitive  religion  and  architecture  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America.  The  first  of  these  missions,  if  we 
are  to  credit  an  unusually  widespread  legend,  occurred  as 
early  as  the  year  458.  We  are  told  that  it  was  followed, 
almost  half  a  century  later,  by  the  visit  of  a  certain  Hui 
Shen,  a  member  of  the  college  of  priests  at  Cabul, — at  that 
time  a  centre  of  the  Buddhist  propaganda, — who  not  only 
succeeded  in  reaching  Alaska  by  way  of  Kamchatka,  but 
journeyed  southward  through  a  country  to  which  he  gave 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  13 

the  name  Fu-Sang.  There  is  said  to  be  a  Chinese  record 
of  this  event.  And,  curiously  enough,  an  old  tradition 
among  the  Mexicans  contains  an  account  of  the  mysterious 
visit,  long  ago,  of  a  white  man,  a  "  Fair  God,"  by  whom 
their  race  was  instructed  in  the  elements  of  civilization,  but 
who  finally  vanished  as  suddenly  and  as  inexplicably  as  he 
had  appeared — where  and  whither  no  one  was  ever  able  to 
relate.  It  is  possible  that  Fu-Sang  was  America,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  was  probably  only  Japan  that  Hui  Shen  visited. 

With  but  one  exception,  it  may  be  said  of  all  the  so-called 
discoveries  of  America,  either  by  Orientals  or  Occidentals, 
before  the  time  of  Columbus,  that  they  lack  trustworthy 
documentary  evidence.  Owing  to  this  absence  of  the 
highest  order  of  proof,  they  are  not  to  be  regarded  as  coming 
within  the  range  of  the  ordinary  historian.  The  single  ex 
ception  just  noted  is  the  discovery  of  our  continent  in  the 
early  part  of  the  eleventh  century  by  Norse  mariners  from 
Greenland;  and  in  support  of  this  theory  we  have  a  con 
siderable  amount  of  cumulative  proof. 

The  discovery  of  America  by  the  Norsemen  is  a  theory 
that  owes  no  small  part  of  its  popularity  to  the  exertions 
and  scholarly  attainments  of  one  man,  whose  work  on  the 
antiquities  of  his  race  may  well  be  called  a  monument  to  his 
genius.  We  refer  to  Professor  Karl  Christian  Rafn  and 
his  Antiquitates  Americana.  The  universal  enthusiasm  which 
greeted  the  first  appearance  of  this  book,  in  1837,  has  since 
to  a  certain  degree  subsided;  but  the  work  of  this  learned 
Dane  may  even  yet  be  called  an  epoch-making  contribu 
tion  to  historical  science.  Immediately  giving  an  enormous 
prominence  to  the  long-current  stories  of  early  voyages  to 
Vinland, — identified  with  America, — it  at  the  same  time 
aroused  widespread  popular  interest  in  the  folklore,  litera 
ture,  and  history  of  ancient  Scandinavian  peoples.  As  was 
perhaps  natural  in  view  of  the  novelty  of  the  subject,  a 
primary  result  of  Rafn's  widely  heralded  thesis  was  a  diminu 
tion  at  first  of  the  glory  of  Columbus.  But  the  inevitable 
reaction  at  length  set  in,  and  now,  while  accepting  as  true 


I4  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

much  that  is  claimed  for  the  exploits  of  the  Norse  adven 
turers,  we  may  still  retain  every  whit  of  our  admiration  for 
the  unsurpassed  achievement  of  the  Genoese. 

Engaged  for  many  years  in  investigating  the  origins  and 
institutions  of  his  people,  Rafn  had  studied,  with  special 
care,  the  traditionary  accounts  of  explorations  claimed  to 
have  been  made  by  hardy  members  of  his  race  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  eleventh  century.  Nor  is  it  at  all  surprising  to 
find  that  these  movements  of  the  Norsemen  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere  were  very  closely  connected  with  the  wanderings 
of  their  race  which  resulted  in  the  settlement  of  northern 
Gaul  by  some  of  the  stock,  the  conquest  of  a  large  portion 
of  Britain  by  other  bands,  the  occupation  of  Iceland,  and 
the  infusion  of  Norse  blood  into  almost  every  nationality  of 
Europe.  Why  this  happened  and  how  it  came  about  are 
facts  which  are  clear  to  the  average  student  of  history. 

Down  to  the  latter  part  of  the  ninth  century,  Norway — 
then  of  far  greater  territorial  extent  than  it  is  in  the  present 
day — was  composed  of  a  number  of  petty  kingdoms  whose 
chieftains  were  engaged  in  constant  strife  with  one  an 
other.  Finally,  however,  the  revived  idea  of  imperialism, 
triumphing  in  the  birth  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire  with 
Charlemagne  for  its  head,  gradually  made  its  way  to  the 
Scandinavian  peninsula,  as  it  had  to  England,  to  France, 
and  'to  almost  every  other  part  of  Europe.  The  work  of 
national  consolidation,  as  opposed  to  the  separatist  tenden 
cies  of  feudalism,  at  once  set  in.  To  destroy  in  Norway 
the  political  ascendency  of  the  jarls,  or  barons,  and  con 
struct  in  its  place  a  central  solidified  government,  organized 
for  the  entire  people,  was  the  mighty  task  that  fell  to  the 
lot  of  Harold  Fairhair.  He  approached  the  object  of  his 
constructive  statesmanship  with  so  strong  a  hand  that  he 
quickly  overcame  all  his  rivals  on  the  mainland,  as  well  as 
the  bold  vikings  ruling  the  Orkneys,  Shetlands,  Hebrides, 
and  the  Isle  of  Man.  The  conquered  jarls  were  not  con 
tent  with  their  altered  and  humbled  position;  hence  it  is 
not  at  all  surprising  to  find  that  the  triumph  of  the  royal 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  I5 

power  was  accompanied  by  that  great  Norse  migration  which 
so  profoundly  affected  the  course  of  political  events  through 
out  a  large  part  of  the  civilized  world.  The  Norse  people 
made  for  themselves  numerous  and  successive  abodes  in 
consequence  of  these  stirring  episodes  in  their  national  his 
tory.  One  such  new  home  was  soon  afterward  found 
in  Iceland.  This  was  in  the  year  874.  Snowland  is  what 
the  vikings  first  called  the  country,  but  the  name  was  soon 
afterward  exchanged  for  that  which  it  has  since  retained. 
"There,"  to  quote  the  words  of  the  late  John  Fiske,  "an 
aristocratic  republic  grew  up,  owing  slight  and  indefinite 
allegiance  to  the  kings  of  Norway.  The  settlement  of 
Iceland  was  such  a  wholesale  colonization  by  communities 
of  picked  men  as  had  not  been  seen  since  ancient  Greek 
times,  and  was  not  to  be  seen  again  until  Winthrop  sailed 
into  Massachusetts  Bay.  It  was  not  long  before  the  popu 
lation  of  Iceland  exceeded  fifty  thousand  souls.  Their  sheep 
and  cattle  flourished,  hay  crops  were  heavy,  a  lively  trade  with 
fish,  oil,  butter,  skins,  and  wool,  in  exchange  for  meal  and 
malt,  was  kept  up  with  Norway,  Denmark,  and  the  British 
Islands;  political  freedom  was  unimpaired;  justice  was,  for 
the  Middle  Ages,  fairly  well  administered ;  naval  superiority 
kept  all  foes  at  a  distance,  and  under  such  conditions  the 
growth  of  the  new  community  was  surprisingly  rapid." 

Not  a  mere  material  growth  was  this  splendid  progress 
of  Iceland.  Under  the  favorable  conditions  thus  described, 
there  was  soon  developed  an  intellectual  vigor,  of  a  most 
robust  character,  which  has  an  intimate  bearing  on  the  main 
subject  of  this  volume.  It  is  during  such  stirring,  hero- 
breeding  national  movements  as  these  that  the  best  poetry 
has  ever  been  created.  So  there  blossomed  on  the  fjords 
of  Iceland,  centuries  before  the  days  of  Dante  and  of 
Petrarch,  a  Norse  literature  which  is  especially  interesting 
to  American  readers, — the  Sagas,  the  name  being  derived 
from  an  old  Scandinavian  word  signifying  "  a  story."  De 
pending  on  oral  tradition,  the  Sagas  were  gradually  elaborated 
by  successive  generations  until,  in  the  twelfth  century,  the 


1 6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

extended  use  of  writing  gave  them  permanent  form.  How 
ever  much  this  fact  may  put  us  on  our  guard,  there  is  too 
much  corroborative  proof  of  their  main  trustworthiness  to 
cause  us  either  to  reject  or  to  consider  them  in  any  other 
light  than  as  a  faithful  mirror  of  contemporary  thought  and 
history.  Accordingly,  it  is  easy  to  understand  how  the 
Norsemen  were  led,  step  by  step,  to  the  American  coast, 
although  it  will  always  remain  an  impossible  task  to  point  out 
with  assured  accuracy  the  precise  places  which  they  visited. 

Since  Greenland  lies  but  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
west  of  Iceland,  its  discovery  and  occupation  naturally 
follow  the  settlement  of  the  latter  country.  Indeed,  as 
early  as  876,  or  within  two  years  after  the  settlement  of 
Iceland,  a  sailor  was  driven  to  the  coast  of  Greenland  by 
adverse  weather,  and  passed  the  winter  there;  but  more 
than  a  century  elapsed  before  any  attempt  was  made  to 
colonize  it.  In  The  Saga  of  Erik  the  Red,  of  which  we 
shall  quote  all  that  part  bearing  directly  upon  our  subject, 
is  shown  how  the  Norsemen  first  visited  America  inten 
tionally  and  for  purposes  of  advantage. 

The  manuscript  containing  The  Saga  of  Erik  the  Red 
was  found  in  a  monastery  on  the  island  of  Flatey,  in  Ice 
land.  It  was  beautifully  written  upon  parchment.  There  is 
sufficient  internal  evidence  to  warrant  the  belief  that  it  was 
written  between  the  dates  1387  and  1395.  The  Sagas  which 
it  contained  were  undoubtedly  the  work  of  various  hands. 
That  of  Erik  the  Red,  it  is  believed  from  the  language  and 
construction,  was  originally  written  in  the  twelfth  century. 
Previous  to  that  time  this  story,  like  all  the  Icelandic  Sagas, 
had  been  preserved  by  oral  memorizing  and  repeated  before 
the  chieftains  and  at  public  festivals  by  professional  saga- 
men.  There  is  no  difficulty,  and  there  can  be  no  reason 
able  doubt,  in  identifying  Helluland  with  Newfoundland, 
Markland  with  Nova  Scotia^  and  Vinland  with  New  Eng 
land.  Indeed,  the  description  of  the  coast  is  so  accurate 
that  in  the  island  between  which  and  the  ness  Erik  sailed 
it  is  easy  to  recognize  Nantucket. 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  17 

CONCERNING    ERIK   THE   RED 

A.  D.   985 

There  was  a  man  named  Thorvald,  a  son  of  Osvald,  a 
son  of  Ulf-Oxne-Thorerfsson.  Thorvald  and  his  son  Erik 
the  Red  removed  from  Jaeder  to  Iceland;  in  consequence 
of  murder.  At  that  time  was  Iceland  colonrzed  wide 
around.  They  lived  at  Drange  on  Hornstrand :  there  died 
Thorvald.  Erik  then  married  Thorhild,  the  daughter  of 
Jaerunda  and  Thorbjorg  Knarrarbringa,  who  afterwards 
married  Thorbjorn  of  Haukadal. 

Then  went  Erik  from  the  north,  and  lived  at  Erikstad, 
near  Vatshorn.  The  son  of  Erik  and  Thorhild  was  called 
Leif.  But  after  Eyulf  Soer's  and  Rafn  the  duellist's  mur 
der,  was  Erik  banished  from  Haukadal,  and  he  removed 
westwards  to  Breidafjord,  and  lived  at  QExney  at  Erikstad. 
He  lent  Thorgest  his  seat-posts,  and  could  not  get  them 
back  again;  he  then  demanded  them;  upon  this  arose  dis 
putes  and  frays  between  him  and  Thorgest,  as  is  told  in 
Erik's  saga.  Styr  Thorgrimson,  Eyulf  of  Svinoe,  and  the 
sons  of  Brand  of  Alptafjord,  and  Thorbjorn  Vifilson  assisted 
Erik  in  this  matter;  but  the  sons  of  Thorgeller  and  Thor- 
geir  of  Hitardal  stood  by  the  Thorgestlingers.  Erik  was 
declared  outlawed  by  the  Thorsnesthing,  and  he  then  made 
ready  his  ship  in  Erik's  creek;  and  when  he  was  ready, 
Styr  and  the  others  followed  him  out  past  the  islands.  Erik 
told  them  that  he  intended  to  go  in  search  of  the  land, 
which  Ulf  Krage's  son  Gunnbjorn  saw,  when  he  was 
driven  out  to  the  westward  in  the  sea,  the  time  when  he 
found  the  rocks  of  Gunnbjorn.  He  said  he  would  come 
back  to  his  friends  if  he  found  the  land.  Erik  sailed  out 
from  Snaefellsjokul;  he  found  land,  and  came  in  from  the 
sea  to  the  place  which  he  called  Midjokul;  it  is  now  called 
Blaserkr.  He  then  went  southwards  to  see  whether  it  was 
there  habitable  land.  The  first  winter  he  was  at  Eriksey, 
nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  eastern  settlement;  the  spring 


1 8  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

after  repaired  he  to  Eriksfjord,  and  took  up  there  his  abode. 
He  removed  in  summer  to  the  western  settlement,  and  gave 
to  many  places  names.  He  was  the  second  winter  at  Holm 
in  Hrafnsgnipa;  but  the  third  summer  went  he  to  Iceland, 
and  came  with  his  ship  into  Breidafjord.  He  called  the 
land  which  he  had  found  Greenland,  because,  quoth  he, 
"people  will  be  attracted  thither,  if  the  land  has  a  good 
name."  Erik  was  in  Iceland  for  the  winter,  but  the  sum 
mer  after  went  he  to  colonize  the  land;  he  dwelt  at  Brat- 
tahlid  in  Eriksfjord.  Informed  people  say  that  the  same 
summer  Erik  the  Red  went  to  colonize  Greenland;  thirty- 
five  ships  sailed  from  Breidafjord  and  Borgafjord,  but  only 
fourteen  arrived;  some  were  driven  back,  and  others  were 
lost.  This  was  fifteen  winters  before  Christianity  was 
established  by  law  in  Iceland.  "The  same  season  Bishop 
Frederick,  and  Thorvald  the  son  of  Kodran,  departed  from 
Iceland."  The  following  men,  who  went  out  with  Erik, 
took  land  in  Greenland :  Herjulf  took  Herjulfsfjord  (he 
lived  at  Herjulfsness),  Ketil  Ketilsfjord,  Rafn  Rafnsfjord, 
Soelve  Soelvedal,  Helge  Thorbrandsson  Alptafjord,  Thor- 
bjornglora  Siglefjord,  Einar  Einarsfjord,  Hafgrim  Hafgrims- 
fjord  and  Vatnahverf,  Arnlaug  Arnlaugsfjord;  but  some 
went  to  the  western  settlement. 


BJARNI   SEEKS    OUT    GREENLAND 
A.  D.  986 

Herjulf  was  the  son  of  Bard  Herjulfson;  he  was  kins 
man  to  the  colonist  Ingolf.  To  Herjulf  gave  Ingolf  land 
between  Vog  and  Reykjaness.  Herjulf  lived  first  at  Drep- 
stock.  His  wife  was  named  Thorgerd,  and  Bjarni  was 
their  son,  a  very  hopeful  man.  He  conceived,  when  yet 
young,  a  desire  to  travel  abroad,  and  soon  earned  for  him 
self  both  riches  and  respect;  and  he  was  every  second 
winter  abroad,  every  other  at  home  with  his  father.  Soon 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  19 

possessed  Bjarni  his  own  ship ;  and  the  last  winter  he  was 
in  Norway,  Herjulf  prepared  for  a  voyage  to  Greenland 
with  Erik.  In  the  ship  with  Herjulf  was  a  Christian  from 
the  Hebrides,  who  made  a  hymn  respecting  the  whirlpool, 
in  which  was  the  following  verse : 

"  O  Thou  who  triest  holy  men  ! 
Now  guide  me  on  my  way  ; 
Lord  of  the  earth's  wide  vault,  extend 
Thy  gracious  hand  to  me." 

Herjulf  lived  at  Herjulfsness;  he  was  a  very  respectable 
man.  Erik  the  Red  lived  at  Brattahlid ;  he  was  the  most 
looked  up  to,  and  every  one  regulated  themselves  by  him. 
These  were  Erik's  children :  Leif,  Thorvald,  and  Thor- 
stein  ;  but  his  daughter  was  called  Freydis ;  she  was  married 
to  a  man  who  was  named  Thorvard;  they  lived  in  Garde, 
where  is  now  the  Bishop's  seat ;  she  was  very  haughty,  but 
Thorvard  was  narrow-minded;  she  was  married  to  him 
chiefly  on  account  of  his  money.  Heathen  were  the  people 
in  Greenland  at  this  time.  Bjarni  came  to  Eyrar  with  his 
ship  the  summer  of  the  same  year  in  which  his  father  had 
sailed  away  in  spring.  These  tidings  appeared  serious  to 
Bjarni,  and  he  was  unwilling  to  unload  his  ship.  Then  his 
seamen  asked  him  what  he  would  do;  he  answered  that  he 
intended  to  continue  his  custom,  and  pass  the  winter  with 
his  father :  "  And  I  will,"  said  he,  "  bear  for  Greenland,  if 
ye  will  give  me  your  company."  All  said  that  they  would 
follow  his  counsel.  Then  said  Bjarni :  "  Imprudent  will 
appear  our  voyage,  since  none  of  us  has  been  in  the  Green 
land  ocean."  However,  they  put  to  sea  so  soon  as  they 
were  ready,  and  sailed  for  three  days,  until  the  land  was  out 
of  sight  under  the  water;  but  then  the  fair  wind  fell,  and 
there  arose  north  winds  and  fogs,  and  they  knew  not  where 
they  were;  and  thus  it  continued  for  many  days.  After 
that  saw  they  the  sun  again,  and  could  discover  the  sky ; 
they  now  made  sail  and  sailed  for  that  day,  before  they  saw 
land,  and  counselled  with  each  other  about  what  land  that 


20  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

could  be,  and  Bjarni  said  that  he  thought  it  could  not  be 
Greenland.  They  asked  whether  he  wished  to  sail  to  this 
land  or  not.  "My  advice  is,"  said  he,  "to  sail  close  to  the 
land;"  and  so  they  did,  and  soon  saw  that  the  land  was 
without  mountains,  and  covered  with  wood,  and  had  small 
height.  Then  left  they  the  land  on  their  larboard  side,  and 
let  the  stern  turn  from  the  land.  Afterwards  they  sailed 
two  days  before  they  saw  another  land.  They  asked  if 
Bjarni  thought  that  this  was  Greenland,  but  he  said  that 
he  as  little  believed  this  to  be  Greenland  as  the  other; 
"because  in  Greenland  are  said  to  be  very  high  ice-hills." 
They  soon  approached  the  land,  and  saw  that  it  was  a  flat 
land  covered  with  wood.  Then  the  fair  wind  fell,  and  the 
sailors  said  that  it  seemed  to  them  most  advisable  to  land 
there ;  but  Bjarni  was  unwilling  to  do  so.  They  pretended 
that  they  were  in  want  of  both  wood  and  water.  "Ye  have 
no  want  of  either  of  the  two,"  said  Bjarni ;  for  this,  how 
ever,  he  met  with  some  reproaches  from  the  sailors.  He 
bade  them  make  sail,  and  so  was  done;  they  turned  the 
prow  from  the  land,  and,  sailing  out  into  the  open  sea  for 
three  days,  with  a  southwest  wind,  saw  then  the  third 
land;  and  this  land  was  high,  and  covered  with  mountains 
and  ice-hills.  Then  asked  they  whether  Bjarni  would  land 
there,  but  he  said  that  he  would  not :  "  for  to  me  this 
land  appears  little  inviting."  Therefore  did  they  not  lower 
the  sails,  but  held  on  along  this  land,  and  saw  that  it  was 
an  island;  again  turned  they  the  stern  from  the  land,  and 
sailed  out  into  the  sea  with  the  same  fair  wind;  but  the 
breeze  freshened,  and  Bjarni  then  told  them  to  shorten  sail, 
and  not  sail  faster  than  their  ship  and  ship's  gear  could  hold 
out.  They  sailed  now  four  days,  when  they  saw  the  fourth 
land.  Then  asked  they  Bjarni  whether  he  thought  that  this 
was  Greenland,  or  not.  Bjarni  answered:  "This  is  the 
most  like  Greenland,  according  to  what  I  have  been  told 
about  it,  and  here  will  we  steer  for  land."  So  did  they,  and 
landed  in  the  evening  under  a  ness ;  and  there  was  a  boat 
by  the  ness,  and  just  here  lived  Bjarni's  father,  and  from 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  2I 

him  has  the  ness  taken  its  name,  and  is  since  called  Her- 
julfsness.  Bjarni  now  repaired  to  his  father's,  and  gave  up 
seafaring,  and  was  with  his  father  so  long  as  Herjulf  lived, 
and  afterwards  he  dwelt  there  after  his  father. 


VOYAGE   OF   LEIF   ERIKSON 
Here  beginneth  the  Narrative  of  the  Greenlanders. 

The  next  thing  now  to  be  related  is,  that  Bjarni  Herjulf- 
son  went  out  from  Greenland,  and  visited  Erik  Jarl,  and  the 
Jarl  received  him  well.  Bjarni  told  about  his  voyages,  that 
he  had  seen  unknown  lands,  and  people  thought  that  he  had 
shown  no  curiosity,  when  he  had  nothing  to  relate  about 
these  countries,  and  this  became  somewhat  a  matter  of 
reproach  to  him.  Bjarni  became  one  of  the  Jarl's  courtiers, 
and  came  back  to  Greenland  the  summer  after.  There  was 
now  much  talk  about  voyages  of  discovery.  Leif,  the  son 
of  Erik  the  Red,  of  Brattahlid,  went  to  Bjarni  Herjulfson, 
and  bought  the  ship  of  him,  and  engaged  men  for  it,  so  that 
there  were  thirty-five  men  in  all.  Leif  asked  his  father 
Erik  to  be  the  leader  on  the  voyage;  but  Erik  excused 
himself,  saying  that  he  was  now  pretty  well  stricken  in 
years,  and  could  not  now,  as  formerly,  hold  out  all  the 
hardships  of  the  sea.  Leif  said  that  still  he  was  the  one 
of  the  family  whom  good  fortune  would  soonest  attend ; 
and  Erik  gave  in  to  Leif 's  request,  and  rode  from  home  so 
soon  as  they  were  ready ;  and  it  was  but  a  short  way  to  the 
ship.  The  horse  stumbled  that  Erik  rode,  and  he  fell  off 
and  bruised  his  foot.  Then  said  Erik :  "  It  is  not  ordained 
that  I  should  discover  more  countries  than  that  which  we 
now  inhabit,  and  we  should  make  no  further  attempt  in 
company."  Erik  went  home  to  Brattahlid;  but  Leif  re 
paired  to  the  ship,  and  his  comrades  with  him,  thirty-five 
men.  There  was  a  southern  on  the  voyage,  who  was  named 
Tyrker.  Now  prepared  they  their  ship,  and  sailed  out  into 


22  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  sea  when  they  were  ready,  and  then  found  that  land 
first  which  Bjarni  had  found  last.  There  sailed  they  to  the 
land,  and  cast  anchor,  and  put  off  boats,  and  went  ashore, 
and  saw  there  no  grass.  Great  icebergs  were  over  all  up 
the  country ;  but  like  a  plain  of  flat  stones  was  all  from  the 
sea  to  the  mountains,  and  it  appeared  to  them  that  this  land 
had  no  good  qualities.  Then  said  Leif:  "We  have  not 
done  like  Bjarni  about  this  land,  that  we  have  not  been  upon 
it;  now  will  I  give  the  land  a  name,  and  call  it  HELLULAND." 
Then  went  they  on  board,  and  after  that  sailed  out  to  sea, 
and  found  another  land;  they  sailed  again  to  the  land,  and 
cast  anchor,  then  put  off  boats  and  went  on  shore.  This 
land  was  flat,  and  covered  with  wood,  and  white  sands 
were  far  around  where  they  went,  and  the  shore  was  low. 
Then  said  Leif:  "This  land  shall  be  named  after  its  quali 
ties,  and  called  MARKLAND"  [woodland].  They  then  im 
mediately  returned  to  the  ship.  Now  sailed  they  thence 
into  the  open  sea  with  a  north-east  wind,  and  were  two 
days  at  sea  before  they  saw  land,  and  they  sailed  thither 
and  came  to  an  island  which  lay  to  the  eastward  of  the 
land,  and  went  up  there,  and  looked  round  them  in  good 
weather,  and  observed  that  there  was  dew  upon  the  grass; 
and  it  so  happened  that  they  touched  the  dew  with  their 
hands,  and  raised  the  fingers  to  the  mouth,  and  they  thought 
that  they  had  never  before  tasted  anything  so  sweet. 

After  that  they  went  to  the  ship,  and  sailed  into  a  sound, 
which  lay  between  the  island  and  a  ness  [promontory], 
which  ran  out  to  the  eastward  of  the  land ;  and  then  steered 
westwards  past  the  ness.  It  was  very  shallow  at  ebb  tide, 
and  their  ship  stood  up,  so  that  it  was  far  to  see  from  the 
ship  to  the  water. 

But  so  much  did  they  desire  to  land,  that  they  did  not 
give  themselves  time  to  wait  until  the  water  again  rose 
under  their  ship,  but  ran  at  once  on  shore,  at  a  place  where 
a  river  flows  out  of  a  lake;  but  so  soon  as  the  waters  rose 
up  under  the  ship,  then  took  they  boats  and  rowed  to  the 
ship  and  floated  it  up  to  the  river,  and  thence  into  the  lake, 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  23 

and  there  cast  anchor,  and  brought  up  from  the  ship  their 
skin  cots,  and  made  there  booths. 

After  this  took  they  counsel,  and  formed  the  resolution 
of  remaining  there  for  the  winter,  and  built  there  large 
houses.  There  was  no  want  of  salmon  either  in  the  river 
or  in  the  lake,  and  larger  salmon  than  they  had  before 
seen.  The  nature  of  the  country  was,  as  they  thought,  so 
good,  that  cattle  would  not  require  house-feeding  in  winter, 
for  there  came  no  frost  in  winter,  and  little  did  the  grass 
wither  there.  Day  and  night  were  more  equal  than  in 
Greenland  or  Iceland,  for  on  the  shortest  day  was  the  sun 
above  the  horizon  from  half-past  seven  in  the  forenoon  till 
half-past  four  in  the  afternoon. 

But  when  they  had  done  with  the  house-building,  Leif 
said  to  his  comrades :  "  Now  will  I  divide  our  men  into 
two  parts,  and  have  the  land  explored;  and  the  half  of 
the  men  shall  remain  at  home  at  the  house,  while  the  other 
half  explore  the  land;  but,  however,  not  go  further  than 
that  they  can  come  home  in  the  evening,  and  they  should 
not  separate."  Now  they  did  so  for  a  time,  and  Leif 
changed  about,  so  that  the  one  day  he  went  with  them, 
and  the  other  remained  at  home  in  the  house.  Leif  was  a 
great  and  strong  man,  grave  and  well  favored,  therewith 
sensible  and  moderate  in  all  things. 

LEIF   THE   LUCKY   FOUND   FOLK   UPON   A   ROCK 
IN   THE  SEA 

It  happened  one  evening  that  a  man  of  the  party  was 
missing,  and  this  was  Tyrker  the  German.  This  took 
Leif  much  to  heart,  for  Tyrker  had  been  long  with  his 
father  and  him,  and  loved  Leif  much  in  his  childhood. 
Leif  now  took  his  people  severely  to  task,  and  prepared  to 
seek  for  Tyrker,  and  took  twelve  men  with  him.  But 
when  they  had  gotten  a  short  way  from  the  house,  then 
came  Tyrker  towards  them,  and  was  joyfully  received. 
Leif  soon  saw  that  his  foster-father  was  not  in  his  right 


24  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

senses.  Tyrker  had  a  high  forehead  and  unsteady  eyes, 
was  freckled  in  the  face,  small  and  mean  in  stature,  but 
excellent  in  all  kinds  of  artifice.  Then  said  Leif  to  him: 
"Why  wert  thou  so  late,  my  fosterer,  and  separated  from 
the  party  ? "  He  now  spoke  first,  for  a  long  time  in  Ger 
man,  and  rolled  his  eyes  about  to  different  sides,  and  twisted 
his  mouth;  but  they  did  not  understand  what  he  said.  After 
a  time  he  spoke  Norse.  "I  have  not  been  much  further 
off",  but  still  have  something  new  to  tell  of;  I  found  vines 
and  grapes."  "  But  is  that  true,  my  fosterer?"  quoth  Leif. 
"  Surely  it  is  true,"  replied  he,  "  for  I  was  bred  up  in  a  land 
where  there  is  no  want  of  either  vines  or  grapes."  They  slept 
now  for  the  night,  but  in  the  morning  Leif  said  to  his  sailors : 
"  We  will  now  set  about  two  things,  in  that  the  one  day  we 
gather  grapes,  and  the  other  day  cut  vines  and  fell  trees,  so 
from  thence  will  be  a  loading  for  my  ship ; "  and  that  was  the 
counsel  taken,  and  it  is  said  their  long-boat  was  filled  with 
grapes.  Now  was  a  cargo  cut  down  for  the  ship,  and  when 
the  spring  came  they  got  ready  and  sailed  away;  and  Leif  gave 
the  land  a  name  after  its  qualities,  and  called  it  VINLAND. 

They  sailed  now  into  the  open  sea,  and  had  a  fair  wind 
until  they  saw  Greenland,  and  the  mountains  below  the 
joklers.  Then  a  man  put  in  his  word  and  said  to  Leif: 
"Why  do  you  steer  so  close  to  the  wind?"  Leif  an 
swered  :  "  I  attend  to  my  steering,  and  something  more ; 
and  can  ye  not  see  anything  ? "  They  answered  that  they 
could  not  observe  anything  extraordinary.  "  I  know  not," 
said  Leif,  "  whether  I  see  a  ship  or  a  rock."  Now  looked 
they,  and  said  it  was  a  rock.  But  he  saw  so  much  sharper 
than  they,  that  he  perceived  there  were  men  upon  the  rock. 
"  Now  let  us,"  said  Leif,  "  hold  our  wind,  so  that  we  come 
up  to  them,  if  they  should  want  our  assistance;  and  the 
necessity  demands  that  we  should  help  them;  and  if  they 
should  not  be  kindly  disposed,  the  power  is  in  our  hands, 
and  not  in  theirs."  Now  sailed  they  under  the  rock,  and 
lowered  their  sails,  and  cast  anchor,  and  put  out  another 
little  boat,  which  they  had  with  them.  Then  asked  Tyrker 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  2$ 

who  their  leader  was.  He  called  himself  Thorer,  and  said 
he  was  a  Northman.  "But  what  is  thy  name?"  said  he. 
Leif  told  his  name.  uArt  thou  a  son  of  Erik  the  Red, 
of  Brattahlid  ? "  quoth  he.  Leif  answered  that  so  it  was. 
"  Now  will  I,"  said  Leif,  "take  ye  all  on  board  my  ship, 
and  as  much  of  the  goods  as  the  ship  can  hold."  They 
accepted  the  offer,  and  sailed  thereupon  to  Eriksfjord  with 
the  cargo ;  and  thence  to  Brattahlid,  where  they  unloaded  the 
ship.  After  that,  Leif  invited  Thorer  and  his  wife  Gudrid, 
and  three  other  men  to  stop  with  him,  and  got  berths  for 
the  other  seamen,  as  well  Thorer's  as  his  own,  elsewhere. 
Leif  took  fifteen  men  from  the  rock;  he  was,  after  that, 
called  Leif  the  Lucky.  Leif  had  now  earned  both  riches 
and  respect.  The  same  winter  came  a  heavy  sickness  among 
Thorer's  people,  and  carried  off  as  well  Thorer  himself  as 
many  of  his  men.  This  winter  died  also  Erik  the  Red. 
Now  was  there  much  talk  about  Leif 's  voyage  to  Vinland ; 
and  Thorvald,  his  brother,  thought  that  the  land  had  been 
much  too  little  explored.  Then  said  Leif  to  Thorvald: 
"Thou  canst  go  with  my  ship,  brother,  if  thou  wilt,  to  Vin 
land  ;  but  I  wish  first  that  the  ship  should  go  and  fetch  the 
timber  which  Thorer  had  upon  the  rock;"  and  so  was  done. 

Leif 's  experiences  naturally  gave  rise  to  much  discussion 
in  Greenland  and  prompted  more  than  one  effort  to  explore 
further  the  region  which  he  had  visited.  In  1002,  Thor 
vald  Erikson  coasted  along  the  shores  of  a  country  which 
he  called  Kjalarness,  but  perished  during  the  voyage,  as  is 
recorded  in  the  Saga.  The  most  energetic  attempt,  how 
ever,  to  gain  additional  knowledge  regarding  Vinland  was 
made  about  the  year  1007,  by  Thorfinn  Karlsefne,  who 
took  with  him  a  small  fleet  and  a  considerable  band  of  men. 
The  regions  called  Helluland,  Markland,  and  Vinland  were 
successively  visited,  and,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  Saga  which 
follows,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  identifying  the  last-named 
country,  with  its  "  self-sowen  fields  of  wheat "  and  its  abun 
dance  of  wild  grapes,  with  the  fertile  shores  of  Rhode  Island. 


26  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

SAGA   OF   THORFINN    KARLSEFNE 

Genealogy  of  Thorfinn  Karlsefne,  his  Voyage  to  Greenland,  and 
Marriage  with  Gudrid,  the  Widow  of  Tb  or  stein  Erik  son. 

CONCERNING    THORD    OF    HOFDA 

There  was  a  man  named  Thord,  who  lived  at  Hofda  in 
Hofda  strand;  he  married  Fridgerda,  daughter  of  Thorer 
Hyma,  and  Fridgerda,  daughter  of  Kjarval,  king  of  the 
Irish.  Thord  was  the  son  of  Bjarni  Byrdufmjor,  son  of 
Thorvald  Ryg,  son  of  Asleik,  son  of  Bjarni  Jarnsid,  son 
of  Ragnar  Lodbrok.  They  had  a  son  called  Snorri;  he 
married  Thorhild  Rjupa,  daughter  of  Thord  Cellar;  their 
son  was  Thord  Hesthofdi.  Thord's  son  was  named 
THORFINN  KARLSEFNE;  Thorfinn's  mother  was  called 
Thorum.  Thorfinn  took  to  trading  voyages,  and  was 
thought  an  able  seaman  and  merchant.  One  summer 
Karlsefne  fitted  out  his  ship,  and  purposed  a  voyage  to 
Greenland.  Snorri  Thorbrandson,  of  Alptafjord,  went  with 
him,  and  there  were  forty  men  in  the  ship.  There  was  a 
man  called  Bjarni  Grimolfson,  of  Breidafjord;  another 
called  Thorhall  Gamlason,  an  Eastfjordish  man ;  they  fitted 
out  their  ship  the  same  summer  for  Greenland :  there  were 
also  forty  men  in  the  ship.  Karlsefne  and  the  others  put 
to  sea  with  these  two  ships,  so  soon  as  they  were  ready. 
Nothing  is  told  about  how  long  they  were  at  sea,  but  it  is 
to  be  related  that  both  these  ships  came  to  Eriksfjord  in 
the  autumn.  Erik  [Leif]  rode  to  the  ship  together  with 
several  of  the  inhabitants,  and  they  began  to  deal  in  a 
friendly  manner.  Both  the  ships'  captains  begged  Erik  to 
take  as  much  of  the  goods  as  he  wished ;  but  Erik,  on  his 
side,  showed  them  hospitality,  and  bade  the  crews  of  these 
two  ships  home,  for  the  winter,  to  his  own  house  at  Brat- 
tahlid.  This  the  merchants  accepted,  and  thanked  him. 
Then  were  their  goods  removed  to  Brattahlid;  there  was 
no  want  of  large  outhouses  to  keep  the  goods  in,  neither 
plenty  of  everything  that  was  required:  wherefore  they 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  27 

were  well  satisfied  in  the  winter.  But  towards  Yule  Erik 
began  to  be  silent,  and  was  less  cheerful  than  he  used  to 
be.  One  time  turned  Karlsefne  toward  Erik  and  said: 
"  Hast  thou  any  sorrow,  Erik,  my  friend  ?  people  think  to 
see  that  thou  art  less  cheerful  than  thou  wert  wont  to  be; 
thou  hast  entertained  us  with  the  greatest  splendor,  and  we 
are  bound  to  return  it  to  thee  with  such  services  as  we  can 
command ;  say  now,  what  troubles  thee  ? "  Erik  answered : 
uYe  are  friendly  and  thankful,  and  I  have  no  fear  as  con 
cerns  our  intercourse,  that  ye  will  feel  the  want  of  attention; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  fear  that  when  ye  come  elsewhere 
it  will  be  said  that  ye  have  never  passed  a  worse  Yule  than 
that  which  now  approaches,  when  Erik  the  Red  enter 
tained  ye  at  Brattahlid,  in  Greenland."  "It  shall  not  be 
so,  Yeoman!"  said  Karlsefne;  "we  have  in  our  ship  both 
malt  and  corn;  take  as  much  as  thou  desirest  thereof,  and 
make  ready  a  feast  as  grand  as  thou  wilt ! "  This  Erik 
accepted;  and  now  preparation  was  made  for  the  feast  of 
Yule,  and  this  feast  was  so  grand  that  people  thought  they 
had  hardly  ever  seen  the  like  pomp  in  a  poor  land.  And 
after  Yule,  Karlsefne  disclosed  to  Erik  that  he  wished  to 
marry  Gudrid,  for  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  must  have  the 
power  in  this  matter.  Erik  answered  favorably,  and  said 
that  she  must  follow  her  fate,  and  that  he  had  heard  nothing 
but  good  of  him;  and  it  ended  so  that  Thorfinn  married 
Thurid  (Gudrid);  and  then  was  the  feast  extended;  and  their 
marriage  was  celebrated;  and  this  happened  at  Brattahlid,  in 
the  winter. 

THE  VINLAND   VOYAGE 

In  Brattahlid  began  people  to  talk  much  about  that  Vin- 
land  the  Good  should  be  explored,  and  it  was  said  that  a 
voyage  thither  would  be  particularly  profitable  by  reason  of 
the  fertility  of  the  land;  and  it  went  so  far  that  Karlsefne 
and  Snorri  made  ready  their  ship  to  explore  the  land  in  the 
spring.  With  them  went  also  the  before-named  men  called 
Bjarni  and  Thorhall,  with  their  ship.  There  was  a  man 


28  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

called  Thorvard ;  he  married  Freydis,  a  natural  daughter  of 
Erik  the  Red;  he  went  also  with  them,  and  Thorvald  the 
son  of  Erik,  and  Thorhall  who  was  called  the  hunter;  he' 
had  long  been  with  Erik,  and  served  him  as  huntsman  in 
summer,  and  steward  in  winter;  he  was  a  large  man,  and 
strong,  black,  and  like  a  giant,  silent  and  foul-mouthed  in 
his  speech,  and  always  egged  on  Erik  to  the  worst :  he  was 
a  bad  Christian :  he  was  well  acquainted  with  uninhabited 
parts:  he  was  in  the  ship  with  Thorvard  and  Thorvald. 
They  had  the  ship  which  Thorbjorn  had  brought  out  [from 
Iceland] .  They  had  in  all  one  hundred  and  sixty  men  when 
they  sailed  to  the  western  settlement,  and  from  thence  to 
Bjanney.  Then  sailed  they  two  days  to  the  south;  then 
saw  they  land,  and  put  off  boats,  and  explored  the  land,  and 
found  there  great  flat  stones,  many  of  which  were  twelve 
ells  broad :  foxes  were  there.  They  gave  the  land  a  name, 
and  called  it  HELLULAND.  Then  sailed  they  two  days,  and 
turned  from  the  south  to  the  south-east,  and  found  a  land 
covered  with  wood,  and  many  wild  beasts  upon  it :  an  island 
lay  there  out  from  the  land  to  the  south-east;  there  killed 
they  a  bear,  and  called  the  place  afterwards  Bear  island,  but 
the  land  MARKLAND.  Thence  sailed  they  far  to  the  south 
ward  along  the  land,  and  came  to  a  ness ;  the  land  lay  upon 
the  right ;  there  were  long  and  sandy  strands.  They  rowed 
to  land,  and  found  there  upon  the  ness  the  keel  of  a  ship, 
and  called  the  place  Kjalarness,  and  the  strands  they  called 
Furdustrands,  for  it  was  long  to  sail  by  them.  Then  became 
the  land  indented  with  coves;  they  ran  the  ship  into  a  cove. 
King  Olaf  Tryggvason  had  given  Leif  two  Scotch  people, 
a  man  called  Haki,  and  a  woman  called  Hekja;  they  were 
swifter  than  beasts.  These  people  were  in  the  ship  with 
Karlsefne;  but  when  they  had  sailed  past  Furdustrands, 
then  set  they  the  Scots  on  shore,  and  bade  them  run  to 
the  southward  of  the  land,  and  explore  its  qualities,  and 
come  back  again  within  three  days.  They  had  a  sort  of 
clothing  which  they  called  kjafal,  which  was  so  made  that 
a  hat  was  on  the  top,  and  it  was  open  at  the  sides,  and  no 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES 


29 


arms  to  it;  fastened  together  between  the  legs  with  buttons 
and  clasps,  but  in  other  places  it  was  open.  They  stayed 
away  the  appointed  time;  but  when  they  came  back,  the 
one  had  in  the  hand  a  bunch  of  grapes,  and  the  other,  a 
new-sowen  ear  of  wheat :  these  went  on  board  the  ship, 
and  after  that  sailed  they  farther.  They  sailed  into  a  frith; 
there  lay  an  island  before  it,  round  which  there  were  strong 
currents,  therefore  called  they  it  Stream  island.  There  were 
so  many  eider  ducks  on  the  island,  that  one  could  scarcely 
walk  in  consequence  of  the  eggs.  They  called  the  place 
Stream  frith.  They  took  their  cargo  from  the  ship,  and 
prepared  to  remain  there.  They  had  with  them  all  sorts 
of  cattle.  The  country  there  was  very  beautiful.  They 
undertook  nothing  but  to  explore  the  land.  They  were 
there  for  the  winter  without  having  provided  food  before 
hand.  In  the  summer  the  fishing  declined,  and  they  were 
badly  off  for  provisions;  then  disappeared  Thorhall  the 
huntsman.  They  had  previously  made  prayers  to  God  for 
food,  but  it  did  not  come  so  quick  as  they  thought  their 
necessities  required.  They  searched  after  Thorhall  for  three 
days,  and  found  him  on  the  top  of  a  rock;  there  he  lay,  and 
looked  up  in  the  sky,  and  gaped  both  with  nose  and  mouth, 
and  murmured  something;  they  asked  him  why  he  had  gone 
there;  he  said  it  was  no  business  of  theirs;  they  bade  him 
come  home  with  them,  and  he  did  so.  Soon  after  came 
there  a  whale,  and  they  went  thither,  and  cut  it  up,  and  no 
one  knew  what  sort  of  whale  it  was;  and  when  the  cook 
dressed  it,  then  ate  they,  and  all  became  ill  in  consequence. 
Then  said  Thorhall :  "  The  red-bearded  was  more  helpful 
than  your  Christ;  this  have  I  got  now  for  my  verses  that 
I  sung  of  Thor,  my  protector;  seldom  has  he  deserted  me." 
But  when  they  came  to  know  this,  they  cast  the  whole 
whale  into  the  sea,  and  resigned  their  case  to  God.  Then 
the  weather  improved,  and  it  was  possible  to  row  out  fish 
ing;  and  they  were  not  then  in  want  of  provisions,  for  wild 
beasts  were  caught  on  the  land,  and  fish  in  the  sea,  and  eggs 
collected  on  the  island. 


3° 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


OF    KARLSEFNE    AND    THORHALL 


So  is  said  that  Thorhall  would  go  to  the  northward  along 
Furdustrands,  to  explore  Vinland,  but  Karlsefne  would  go 
southwards  along  the  coast.  Thorhall  got  ready,  out  under 
the  island,  and  there  were  no  more  together  than  nine  men ; 
but  all  the  others  went  with  Karlsefne.  Now  when  Thor 
hall  bore  water  to  his  ship,  and  drank,  then  sung  he  this  song: 

"  People  told  me  when  I  came 
Hither,  all  would  be  so  fine  ; 
The  good  Vinland,  known  to  fame, 
Rich  in  fruits,  and  choicest  wine  } 
Now  the  water  pail  they  send  ; 
To  the  fountain  I  must  bend, 
Nor  from  out  this  land  divine 
Have  I  quaffed  one  drop  of  wine." 

And  when  they  were  ready,  and  hoisted  sail,  then  chaunted 
Thorhall: 

"  Let  our  trusty  band 
Haste  to  Fatherland  j 
Let  our  vessel  brave 
Plough  the  angry  wave, 
While  those  few  who  love 
Vinland,  here  may  rove, 
Or,  with  idle  toil, 
Fetid  whales  may  boil, 
Here  on  Furdustrand, 
Far  from  Fatherland." 

After  that,  sailed  they  northwards  past  Furdustrands  and 
Kjalarness,  and  would  cruise  to  the  westward;  then  came 
against  them  a  strong  west  wind,  and  they  were  driven 
away  to  Ireland,  and  were  there  beaten,  and  made  slaves, 
according  to  what  the  merchants  have  said. 

Now  is  to  be  told  about  Karlsefne,  that  he  went  to  the 
southward  along  the  coast,  and  Snorri  and  Bjarni,  with  their 
people.  They  sailed  a  long  time,  and  until  they  came  to  a 
river,  which  ran  out  from  the  land,  and  through  a  lake,  out 
into  the  sea.  It  was  very  shallow,  and  one  could  not  enter 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  <$i 

the  river  without  high  water.  Karlsefne  sailed,  with  his 
people,  into  the  mouth,  and  they  called  the  place  Hop.  They 
found  there  upon  the  land  self-sowen  fields  of  wheat,  there 
where  the  ground  was  low,  but  vines  there  where  it  rose 
somewhat.  Every  stream  there  was  full  of  fish.  They 
made  holes  there  where  the  land  commenced,  and  the  waters 
rose  highest;  and  when  the  tide  fell,  there  were  sacred  fish 
in  the  holes.  There  were  a  great  number  of  all  kinds  of 
wild  beasts  in  the  woods.  They  remained  there  a  half 
month,  and  amused  themselves,  and  did  not  perceive  any 
thing,  [new]  :  They  had  their  cattle  with  them.  And  one 
morning  early,  when  they  looked  round,  saw  they  a  great 
many  canoes,  and  poles  were  swung  upon  them,  and  it 
sounded  like  the  wind  in  a  straw-stack,  and  the  swinging 
was  with  the  sun.  Then  said  Karlsefne:  "What  may  this 
denote  ? "  Snorri  Thorbrandson  answered  him :  "  It  may 
be  that  this  is  a  sign  of  peace,  so  let  us  take  a  white  shield, 
and  hold  it  towards  them ; "  and  so  did  they.  Upon  this  the 
others  rowed  towards  them,  and  looked  with  wonder  upon 
those  that  they  met,  and  went  up  upon  the  land.  These 
people  were  black,  and  ill-favored,  and  had  coarse  hair  on 
the  head;  they  had  large  eyes  and  broad  cheeks.  They 
remained  there  for  a  time,  and  gazed  upon  those  that  they 
met,  and  rowed  afterwards  away  to  the  southward,  round 
the  ness. 

Karlsefne  and  his  people  had  made  their  dwellings  above 
the  lake,  and  some  of  the  houses  were  near  the  water,  others 
more  distant.  Now  were  they  there  for  the  winter;  there 
came  no  snow,  and  all  their  cattle  fed  themselves  on  the 
grass.  But  when  spring  approached,  saw  they  one  morning 
early  that  a  number  of  canoes  rowed  from  the  south  round 
the  ness ;  so  many,  as  if  the  sea  were  sowen  with  coal : 
poles  were  also  swung  on  each  boat.  Karlsefne  and  his 
people  then  raised  up  the  shield,  and  when  they  came 
together,  they  began  to  barter;  and  these  people  would 
rather  have  red  cloth  [than  anything  else];  for  this  they 
had  to  offer  skins  and  real  furs.  They  would  also  purchase 


2 2  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

swords  and  spears,  but  this  Karlsefne  and  Snorri  forbade. 
For  an  entire  fur  skin  the  Skraelings  took  a  piece  of  red 
cloth,  a  span  long,  and  bound  it  round  their  heads.  Thus 
went  on  their  traffic  for  a  time;  then  the  cloth  began  to 
fall  short  among  Karlsefne  and  his  people,  and  they  cut  it 
asunder  into  small  pieces,  which  were  not  wider  than  the 
breadth  of  a  finger,  and  still  the  Skraelings  gave  just  as 
much  for  that  as  before,  and  more. 

It  happened  that  a  bull,  which  Karlsefne  had,  ran  out 
from  the  wood  and  roared  aloud ;  this  frightened  the  Skrael 
ings,  and  they  rushed  to  their  canoes,  and  rowed  away  to 
the  southward,  round  the  coast:  after  that  they  were  not 
seen  for  three  entire  weeks.  But  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
a  great  number  of  Skraelings'  ships  were  seen  coming  from 
the  south  like  a  rushing  torrent;  all  the  poles  were  turned 
from  the  sun,  and  they  all  howled  very  loud.  Then  took 
Karlsefne's  people  a  red  shield,  and  held  it  towards  them. 
The  Skraelings  jumped  out  of  their  ships,  and  after  this 
went  they  against  each  other,  and  fought.  There  was  a 
sharp  shower  of  weapons,  for  the  Skraelings  had  slings. 
Karlsefne's  people  saw  that  they  raised  up  on  a  pole  an 
enormous  large  ball,  something  like  a  sheep's  paunch,  and 
of  a  blue  color;  this  swung  they  from  the  pole  over  Karl 
sefne's  men,  upon  the  ground,  and  it  made  a  frightful  crash 
as  it  fell  down.  This  caused  great  alarm  to  Karlsefne  and 
all  his  people,  so  that  they  thought  of  nothing  but  running 
away,  and  they  fell  back  along  the  river,  for  it  appeared  to 
them  that  the  Skraelings  pressed  upon  them  from  all  sides; 
and  they  did  not  stop  until  they  came  to  some  rocks,  where 
they  made  a  stout  resistance.  Freydis  came  out  and  saw 
that  Karlsefne's  people  fell  back,  and  she  cried  out :  "  Why 
do  ye  run,  stout  men  as  ye  are,  before  these  miserable 
wretches,  whom  I  thought  ye  would  knock  down  like 
cattle  ?  and  if  I  had  weapons,  methinks  I  could  fight  better 
than  any  of  ye."  They  gave  no  heed  to  her  words.  Frey 
dis  would  go  with  them,  but  she  was  slower,  because  she 
was  pregnant;  however,  she  followed  after  them  into  the 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES  33 

wood.  The  Skraelings  pursued  her;  she  found  a  dead  man 
before  her:  it  was  Thorbrand  Snorrason,  and  there  stood  a 
flat  stone  stuck  in  his  head;  the  sword  lay  naked  by  his 
side;  this  took  she  up,  and  prepared  to  defend  herself. 
Then  came  the  Skraelings  towards  her ;  she  drew  out  her 
breasts  from  under  her  clothes,  and  dashed  them  against 
the  naked  sword ;  by  this  the  Skraelings  became  frightened, 
and  ran  off  to  their  ships,  and  rowed  away.  Karlsefne  and 
his  people  then  came  up,  and  praised  her  courage.  Two 
men  fell  on  Karlsefne's  side,  but  a  number  of  the  Skraelings. 
Karlsefne's  band  was  overmatched,  and  they  now  drew 
home  to  their  dwellings,  and  bound  their  wounds ;  and  they 
thought  over  what  crowd  that  could  have  been,  which  had 
pressed  upon  them  from  the  land  side,  and  it  now  appeared 
to  them  that  it  could  scarcely  have  been  real  people  from 
the  ships,  but  that  these  must  have  been  optical  illusions. 
The  Skraelings  found  also  a  dead  man,  and  an  axe  lay  by 
him;  one  of  them  took  up  the  axe,  and  cut  wood  with  it, 
and  now  one  after  another  did  the  same,  and  thought  it  was 
an  excellent  thing,  and  bit  well;  after  that  one  took  it,  and 
cut  at  a  stone,  so  that  the  axe  broke,  and  then  thought  they  it 
was  of  no  use,  because  it  would  not  cut  stone,  and  they 
threw  it  away. 

Karlsefne  and  his  people  now  thought  they  saw,  that 
although  the  land  had  many  good  qualities,  still  would  they 
be  always  exposed  there  to  the  fear  of  hostilities  from  the 
earlier  inhabitants.  They  proposed,  therefore,  to  depart, 
and  return  to  their  own  country.  They  sailed  northwards 
along  the  coast,  and  found  five  Skraelings  clothed  in  skins, 
sleeping  near  the  sea.  They  had  with  them  vessels  con 
taining  animal  marrow  mixed  with  blood.  Karlsefne's 
people  thought  they  understood  that  these  men  had  been 
banished  from  the  land;  they  killed  them.  After  that  came 
they  to  a  ness,  and  many  wild  beasts  were  there;  and  the 
ness  was  covered  all  over  with  dung,  from  the  beasts  which 
had  lain  there  during  the  night.  Now  came  they  back  to 
Straumfjord,  and  there  was  abundance  of  everything  that 


34 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


they  wanted  to  have.  It  is  some  men's  say,  that  Bjarni  and 
Gudrid  remained  behind,  and  a  hundred  men  with  them, 
and  did  not  go  further  j  but  that  Karlsefne  and  Snorri  went 
southwards,  and  forty  men  with  them,  and  were  not  longer 
in  Hope  than  barely  two  months,  and  the  same  summer 
came  back.  Karlsefne  went  then  with  one  ship  to  seek 
after  Thorhall  the  hunter,  but  the  rest  remained  behind, 
and  they  sailed  northwards  past  Kjalarness,  and  thence 
westwards,  and  the  land  was  upon  their  larboard  hand; 
there  were  wild  woods  over  all,  as  far  as  they  could  see, 
and  scarcely  any  open  places.  And  when  they  had  long 
sailed,  a  river  fell  out  of  the  land  from  east  to  west ;  they  put 
in  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  lay  by  its  southern  bank. 

DEATH   OF  THORVALD,   THE  SON   OF   ERIK 

It  happened  one  morning  that  Karlsefne  and  his  people 
saw,  opposite  an  open  place  in  the  wood,  a  speck  which 
glistened  in  their  sight,  and  they  shouted  out  towards  it, 
and  it  was  a  uniped,  which  thereupon  hurried  down  to  the 
bank  of  the  river,  where  they  lay.  Thorvald  Erikson  stood 
at  the  helm,  and  the  uniped  shot  an  arrow  into  his  bowels. 
Thorvald  drew  out  the  arrow,  and  said :  "  It  has  killed  me ! — 
to  a  fruitful  land  have  we  come,  but  hardly  shall  we  enjoy  any 
benefit  from  it."  Thorvald  soon  after  died  of  this  wound. 
Upon  this  the  uniped  ran  away  to  the  northward ;  Karlsefne 
and  his  people  went  after  him,  and  saw  him  now  and 
then,  and  the  last  time  they  saw  him,  he  ran  out  into  a  bay. 
Then  turned  they  back,  and  a  man  chaunted  these  verses : 

"The  people  chased 
A  Uniped 
Down  to  the  beach  ; 
But  lo  !  he  ran 
Straight  o'er  the  sea. 
Hear  thou,  Thorfinn  !  " 

They  drew  off  then,  and  to  the  northward,  and  thought 
they  saw  the  country  of  the  Unipeds ;  they  would  not  then 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES 


35 


expose  their  people  any  longer.  They  looked  upon  the 
mountain  range  that  was  at  Hope,  and  that  which  they  now 
found,  as  all  one,  and  it  also  appeared  to  be  equal  length 
from  Straumfjord  to  both  places.  The  third  winter  were 
they  in  Straumfjord.  They  now  became  much  divided  by 
party  feeling,  and  the  women  were  the  cause  of  it,  for  those 
who  were  unmarried  would  injure  those  that  were  married, 
and  hence  arose  great  disturbance.  There  was  born  the 
first  autumn  Snorri,  Karlsefne's  son,  and  he  was  three  years 
old  when  they  went  away.  When  they  sailed  from  Vin- 
land,  they  had  a  south  wind,  and  came  then  to  Markland, 
and  found  there  five  Skraelings,  and  one  was  bearded;  two 
were  females,  and  two  boys;  they  took  the  boys,  but  the 
others  escaped,  and  the  Skraelings  sank  down  in  the  ground. 
These  two  boys  took  they  with  them;  they  taught  them 
the  language,  and  they  were  baptized.  They  called  their 
mother  Vathelldi,  and  their  father  Uvaege.  They  said  that 
two  kings  ruled  over  the  Skraelings,  and  that  one  of  them 
was  called  Avalldania,  but  the  other  Valldidida.  They  said 
that  no  houses  were  there;  people  lay  in  caves  or  in  holes. 
They  said  there  was  a  land  on  the  other  side,  just  opposite 
their  country,  where  people  lived  who  wore  white  clothes, 
and  carried  poles  before  them,  and  to  these  were  fastened 
flags,  and  they  shouted  loud ;  and  people  think  that  this  was 
WHITE-MAN'S-LAND,  or  GREAT  IRELAND. 

Bjarni  Grimolfson  was  driven  with  his  ship  into  the  Irish 
ocean,  and  they  came  into  a  worm-sea,  and  straightway 
began  the  ship  to  sink  under  them.  They  had  a  boat  which 
was  smeared  with  seal  oil,  for  the  sea-worms  do  not  attack 
that:  they  went  into  the  boat,  and  then  saw  that  it  could 
not  hold  them  all;  then  said  Bjarni:  "Since  the  boat  cannot 
give  room  to  more  than  half  of  our  men,  it  is  my  counsel 
that  lots  should  be  drawn  for  those  to  go  in  the  boat,  for  it 
shall  not  be  according  to  rank."  This  thought  they  all  so 
high-minded  an  offer,  that  no  one  would  speak  against  it; 
they  then  did  so  that  lots  were  drawn,  and  it  fell  upon 
Bjarni  to  go  in  the  boat,  and  the  half  of  the  men  with  him, 


36  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

for  the  boat  had  not  room  for  more.  But  when  they  had 
gotten  into  the  boat,  then  said  an  Icelandic  man,  who  was 
in  the  ship,  and  had  come  with  Bjarni  from  Iceland :  "  Dost 
thou  intend,  Bjarni,  to  separate  from  me  here?"  Bjarni 
answered:  "So  it  turns  out."  Then  said  the  other:  "Very 
different  was  thy  promise  to  my  father,  when  I  went  with 
thee  from  Iceland,  than  thus  to  abandon  me,  for  thou  saidst 
that  we  should  both  share  the  same  fate."  Bjarni  replied: 
"It  shall  not  be  thus;  go  thou  down  into  the  boat,  and  I 
will  go  up  into  the  ship,  since  I  see  that  thou  art  so  desirous 
to  live."  Then  went  Bjarni  up  into  the  ship,  but  this  man 
down  into  the  boat,  and  after  that  continued  they  their 
voyage,  until  they  came  to  Dublin  in  Ireland,  and  told  there 
these  things;  but  it  is  most  people's  belief  that  Bjarni  and 
his  companions  were  lost  in  the  worm-sea,  for  nothing  was 
heard  of  them  since  that  time. 

The  Norse  discovery  of  America  bore  no  lasting  fruit, 
for  the  reason  that  it  was,  in  every  sense,  premature.  Colo 
nization  was  not  sufficiently  encouraged  in  those  far-off  days 
to  permit  a  permanent  settlement  of  Vinland.  Gunpowder 
had  not  yet  come  into  use,  and  the  Norsemen,  far  outnum 
bered  by  the  red  men,  did  not  possess  the  advantage  of 
those  implements  of  modern  warfare  that  later  were  to 
stand  the  Spaniards,  the  English,  and  the  French  in  such 
good  stead.  Lacking  this  advantage,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  Norsemen  to  obtain  a  permanent  foothold  in  the  New 
World.  Their  ignorance  of  the  astrolabe  and  the  compass 
was  sufficient  to  prevent  that  safe  and  regular  navigation 
which  is  essential  to  colonization.  Political  and  economic 
conditions  were  not  such  as  to  create  the  pressing  need  of 
new  highways  for  the  world's  commerce,  or  the  immigration 
of  surplus  European  population.  Printing,  moreover,  had  not 
yet  been  invented,  so  that  wide  publicity  could  not  be  given 
to  the  discoveries  made.  All  this  is  well  put  by  Fiske,  who 
declares  that  "  none  of  the  Icelandic  accounts  of  Markland 
and  Vinland  betray  a  consciousness  that  these  countries 


PRE-COLUMBIAN  DISCOVERIES 


37 


belonged  to  a  geographical  world  outside  of  Europe.  There 
was  not  enough  geographical  knowledge  for  that.  They 
were  simply  conceived  as  remote  places  beyond  Greenland, 
inhabited  by  inferior  but  dangerous  people.  The  accidental 
finding  of  such  places  served  neither  to  solve  any  great 
commercial  problem  nor  to  gratify  and  provoke  scientific 
curiosity."  It  remains  for  us  now  only  to  mention  very 
briefly  what  have  been  supposed  to  be  relics  of  the  Northmen 
in  America.  The  "Writing  Rock,"  found  near  Taunton 
River  in  Massachusetts,  was  long  believed  to  bear  Runic 
inscriptions  made  by  Thorfinn  and  his  companions.  But 
the  assertion  made  by  Washington  Irving  that  these  were  of 
Indian  origin  has  come  now  to  be  generally  accepted.  A 
similar  fate  has  overtaken  the  tradition  which  for  a  long 
while  accepted  the  "Skeleton  in  Armor"  as  evidence  of  the 
visit  of  the  vikings  to  this  country;  and  the  "Old  Stone 
Tower"  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  has  fared  no  better. 
The  Skeleton  immortalized  by  Longfellow's  poem  is  almost 
without  doubt  that  of  an  Indian.  The  Stone  Tower  can  no 
longer  boast  of  a  Norse  origin,  in  face  of  the  iconoclastic, 
but  indisputable,  theory  that  it  was  built  to  serve  the  purpose 
of  a  windmill  by  Governor  Benedict  Arnold  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

These  facts,  however,  do  not  affect  the  claim  that  Amer 
ica  was  discovered  by  the  Norsemen.  This  has  ample  basis 
in  the  documents  we  have  quoted.  Notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  exploration  went  no  further  and  colonization  did 
not  succeed,  the  knowledge  of  Helluland,  Markland,  and 
Vinland  the  Good  did  not  entirely  disappear  from  the 
memory  of  the  Norse  who  remained  in  Greenland.  There 
are  many  indications  pointing  to  an  intermittent  communi 
cation  that  was  kept  up  with  this  country.  The  last  Norse 
man  to  undertake  the  voyage  to  America  appears  to  have 
been  Erik  Knupsen,who  was  appointed  by  Pope  Paschall  II. 
"  Bishop  of  Greenland  and  Vinland  in  partibus  infidelium" 
It  was  in  1121  that  this  prelate — who  may  not  inaptly  be 
called  the  first  American  bishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic 


38  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Church — went  on  a  voyage  to  explore  the  remote  sections 
of  his  diocese;  but  as  he  was  never  heard  of  again,  it  is 
naturally  supposed  that  he  was  lost  at  sea. 

The  Greenland  colony  itself  eventually  was  subjected  to 
the  shock  of  an  invasion  and  perished  before  the  onslaught 
of  the  Eskimo.  This  took  place  in  the  fifteenth  century. 
But  the  ruins  of  the  old  cathedral  at  Gardar,  together  with 
numerous  other  remains,  proclaim  to  this  day  the  early 
European  settlements  in  that  uninviting  part  of  the  northern 
hemisphere. 


CHAPTER   II 

EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  THE  TIME  OF  COLUMBUS 

How  LARGELY  the  idea  of  Asiatic  wealth  served  as  an 
impelling  motive  in  western  exploration  cannot  be  fully 
comprehended  unless  the  student  of  history  has  clearly  in 
mind  the  fact  that  until  near  the  beginning  of  the  Reforma 
tion  Europe  had  stood  with  its  face  in  the  direction  of  the 
Orient.  Europeans  regarded  this  ancient  and  mysterious 
civilization  with  mixed  feelings  of  dread,  ambition,  covet- 
ousness,  and  veneration.  Hostility  between  the  East  and 
the  West  had  been  coeval  with  known  history  and  had  pro 
duced  numerous  memorable  conflicts.  Among  the  best- 
Icnown  facts  of  ancient  history  are  the  struggles  between 
the  Greeks  and  the  Persians,  the  victories  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  and  the  relentless  conflict  between  Rome  and  Car 
thage.  This  antagonism  was  continued  in  the  Middle  Ages 
by  the  Crusades  and  the  endeavor  to  resist  the  westward 
incursions  of  the  Turks  and  other  Asiatic  hordes.  Hardly 
less  important  than  the  warfare  it  waged  was  that  commerce 
which  Europe  had  carried  on  with  the  East  from  the  earliest 
times.  It  was  this  intercontinental  traffic,  throttled  by 
the  rise  of  a  robust  militant  religious  sect  in  Asia,  that 
caused  men  in  all  parts  of  Europe  to  look  for  a  new  and 
unhindered  way  by  which  they  might  reach  the  Oriental 
market.  What  region  of  the  East  was  it  that  so  deeply 
appealed  to  the  commercial  interests  of  Europe?  India;  but 
more  especially  Cathay,  or  the  country  now  known  as  China. 
These  lands  and  also  Cipango,  or  Japan,  had  from  earliest 

39 


40  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

times  been  more  or  less  known  to  the  western  world.  It  is 
important  to  understand  how  the  imagined  fabulous  re 
sources  of  these  countries  appealed  to  the  cupidity  of  Euro 
pean  nations;  unless  we  appreciate  this,  we  lose  sight  of  a 
prime  factor  which  operated  in  the  discovery  of  America. 

Cathay  represents  for  Europe  rather  a  chapter  in  the 
development  of  history  and  geography  than  a  country.  This 
is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  China,  its  modern  equivalent, 
was  known  to  the  ancient  world  under  two  entirely  different 
names.  To  those  reaching  its  southern  coasts  by  the  ocean 
route  it  was  known  as  Sin,  Chin,  Sinae,  China;  but  by  those 
who  visited  the  land  by  the  northern  overland  route  it  was 
called  Seres.  In  the  Middle  Ages,  those  who  went  by  this 
latter  way  called  the  country  Cathay.  Khitai  is  the  name 
by  which  the  land  is  still  known  to  the  Russians  and  the 
natives  of  Turkestan. — (Yule's  Cathay  and  the  Way  Thither. 
Introductory  Essay.) 

As  early  as  the  fifth  century,  the  Arabs  had  dealings  with 
the  Chinese.  The  Euphrates  was  at  that  time  navigable  as 
far  up  as  Hira, — southwest  of  ancient  Babylon, — opposite 
the  warehouses  of  which  city  were  often  anchored  the 
trading  vessels  of  both  India  and  China.  Indeed,  Chinese 
ships  were  known  to  have  frequented  Aden,  as  well  as  the 
mouths  of  the  Indus  and  Euphrates,  until  late  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  thus  presenting  a  state  of  things  in  striking  contrast 
with  that  policy  of  exclusiveness  which  has  distinguished 
the  Middle  Kingdom  during  the  past  few  centuries.  But 
it  was  in  the  days  of  Mongolian  conquest,  under  the  leader 
ship  of  Jinghis  Khan  and  a  succession  of  renowned  members 
of  his  house,  that  Cathay,  or  China,  became  most  familiar 
to  the  nations  of  western  Europe. — (Howarth's  History  of 
the  Mongols,  Part  I.,  Chap,  iii.)  The  Khitans  were  not  in 
reality  Chinese,  but  were  of  Manchu  origin ;  it  was  by  means 
of  conquest  and  consolidation  of  its  hitherto  autonomous 
warring  communities  that  northern  Asia  was  thrown  open 
to  Europeans  as  it  had  not  been  for  ages.  This  was 
the  accomplishment  of  Jinghis  Khan.  The  brilliant  career 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS  41 

of  this  ruler  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  thirteenth  cen 
tury  aroused  both  the  admiration  and  the  fear  of  the  entire 
West.  Invading  China  from  the  north,  he  quickly  overran 
the  valley  of  Yellow  River,  and  after  having  conquered 
much  of  the  empire  of  the  Chin  he  turned  his  victorious 
arms  against  western  Asia,  which  also  soon  passed  under 
his  yoke.  Jinghis  Khan  is  one  of  the  men  who  have 
immensely  influenced  history,  and  even  at  this  late  date 
the  traces  of  his  work  are  still  to  be  found.  But  greater 
than  any  military  or  political  consequences  of  his  achieve 
ments  were  the  awakening  of  thought  and  the  stimulus 
given  to  continental  intercourse  which  resulted  from  this 
contact  between  men  reared  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
dreary  Gobi  Desert  and  those  who,  for  centuries,  had 
slumbered  in  the  undisturbed  enjoyment  of  their  civilized 
occupations  along  the  canals  and  natural  waterways  of 
northern  China.  This  work  of  conquest,  begun  by  Jinghis 
Khan,  was  successfully  carried  on  by  Okkodai,  his  son  and 
heir,  who  not  only  overturned  the  Chinese  dynasty,  but 
annexed  to  the  possessions  of  the  Khan  all  the  provinces 
south  of  Kiang  River.  This  prepared  the  way  for  the 
renowned  Kublai  Khan,  grandson  of  Jinghis,  who  reigned 
as  Great  Khan,  or  supreme  lord,  of  the  Mongols  from 
about  1259  to  I294-  His  possessions  included  China, 
Korea,  Thibet,  Cochin  China,  a  large  part  of  India,  as 
well  as  the  Turkish  and  Siberian  regions  from  the  eastern 
sea  as  far  as  the  Dnieper;  that  is  to  say,  he  ruled  over 
nearly  the  whole  of  Asia. 

It  was  the  barbaric  power  and  unparalleled  magnificence 
of  this  reign  which  did  so  much  not  only  to  excite  the 
wonder,  but  also  to  whet  the  curiosity  and  the  ambition  of 
the  Middle  Ages.  The  men  of  the  South  were  especially 
moved,  for  they  had  heard  already  from  Nestorian  mission 
aries,  Catholic  monks,  Armenian  merchants,  and  others,  that 
somewhere  out  in  the  East  there  lay  a  land  whose  cities 
were  teeming  with  inconceivable  wealth.  But  of  all  the 
travellers  who  visited  Cathay  during  the  thirteenth  century, 


42  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

when  the  power  of  Kublai  Khan  was  at  its  zenith,  the 
most  celebrated  was  the  Venetian  adventurer,  Marco  Polo. 

This  man  has  been  not  inaptly  called  by  some  the  Herod 
otus  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  by  others  the  predecessor 
of  Columbus.  Indeed,  the  name  of  Marco  Polo  has  for 
more  than  six  centuries  been  accepted  as  that  of  a  genius 
of  discovery  and  exploration.  From  his  day  to  that  of 
Columbus  the  influence  of  this  prince  of  travellers  may 
be  clearly  traced.  It  was  he  more  than  anyone  else  who 
fired  the  imagination  of  the  mediaeval  period  with  pictures 
of  the  glories  of  Cathay ;  it  was  conceptions  fostered  by  his 
book  that  eventually  inspired  Columbus  with  an  uncon 
querable  ambition  to  reach  by  a  new  and  direct  route  the 
country  whose  reported  wealth  excited  the  cupidity  of  all 
Europe.  It  would  be  difficult  to  overemphasize  the  influ 
ence  exerted  by  Marco  Polo's  descriptions  of  Cathay  and 
Cipango  in  the  ultimate  discovery  of  America  by  the 
Genoese  mariner.  All  the  dreams  of  cities  sparkling  with 
unmeasured  wealth  that  lured,  like  Ignl  fatui,  the  Italians, 
Spaniards,  and  Portuguese  across  uncharted  seas  and  track 
less  wildernesses  may  be  traced  back  to  the  career  of  this 
Venetian  at  the  court  of  the  Great  Khan. 

Marco  Polo  came  of  a  noble  Venetian  family.  Andro 
Polo,  his  grandfather,  had  three  sons,  Marco,  MafFeo,  and 
Nicolo.  The  two  latter  appear  to  have  been  merchants,  an 
occupation  not  considered  in  those  days,  and  in  Italy,  incon 
sistent  with  nobility  of  birth.  In  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  MafFeo  and  Nicolo  Polo,  while  visiting  Constanti 
nople  on  business,  bought  a  supply  of  jewelry  and  crossed 
over  into  the  realm  of  the  Great  Khan.  Having  disposed 
of  their  goods,  they  prepared  to  leave  the  country,  but  were 
prevented  from  so  doing  by  civil  war.  The  brothers  then 
chanced  to  meet  a  Tartar  nobleman,  who  persuaded  them 
to  visit  the  emperor's  court,  which  they  reached  after  a 
year's  journey.  The  Khan  not  only  received  them  with 
open  hospitality,  but  in  course  of  time  sent  them  home 
with  a  message  to  the  Pope,  asking  him  to  send  missionaries 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS 


43 


to  the  East.  Reaching  Venice  after  an  absence  of  about 
seventeen  years,  the  Polo  brothers  found  that  the  wife  of 
Nicolo,  shortly  after  his  departure,  had  given  birth  to  a  son, 
whom  she  had  named  Marco.  The  brothers,  having  de 
cided  to  return  to  the  East,  took  young  Marco  with  them, 
together  with  two  friars.  The  Great  Khan  was  so  well 
pleased  with  the  youth  that  he  at  once  took  him  under  his 
special  care  and  protection,  and  for  many  years  showered 
upon  him  every  possible  gift.  While  in  the  employ  of  the 
Khan,  Marco  visited  all  parts  of  the  realm  and  compiled  a 
vast  amount  of  information  regarding  Asia.  This  he  pre 
served  in  the  form  of  rough  notes. — (  Travels  of  Marco  Polo, 
edited  by  Thomas  Wright;  see  Introduction.)  After  the 
expiration  of  a  number  of  years,  Marco  and  his  father  and 
uncle  began  to  pine  for  home  and  obtained  permission  of 
the  Khan  to  go  on  a  visit  to  Venice.  While  on  their  way 
back  to  Italy,  the  Polos  visited  Ceylon,  Java,  Cochin  China, 
and  other  parts  of  the  East,  eventually  reaching  Venice  with 
threadbare  garments  stuffed  with  every  sort  of  precious 
stones.  Marco  Polo,  having  been  captured  and  imprisoned 
by  the  Genoese,  procured  his  notes  taken  in  the  East,  dic 
tated  them  to  a  fellow  prisoner,  and  the  result  was  a  volume 
which  was  translated  into  almost  every  European  language 
and  established  Asia  in  western  imagination  as  the  region 
where  fortune  could  not  fail  to  be  achieved. 

But  dreams  of  avarice  had  not  been  the  only  motives 
that  directed  the  attention  of  the  West  to  the  East.  To 
the  Crusades  civilization  owes  a  vast  debt,  not  only  for  the 
manner  in  which  they  united  Latin  Christianity  against  a 
common  foe,  but  also  by  reason  of  the  higher  standard  of 
living  to  which  they  introduced  the  West.  The  material 
results  of  the  Crusades  cannot  be  too  highly  estimated.  By 
stimulating  a  desire  for  luxuries  they  helped  to  increase  the 
commerce  of  the  nascent  city  republics  of  Italy.  Of  this 
great  mediaeval  movement  it  may  be  said  that  it  gave  a  wider 
sweep  to  human  interests  and  aspirations,  it  introduced  into 
Occidental  countries  those  larger  conceptions  of  the  earth 


44  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

which  fostered  the  spirit  of  discovery  and  exploration,  it 
swept  away  a  feudalism  which  had  become  effete,  it  strength 
ened  the  hands  of  the  citizen  estate,  and  it  developed  a  mu 
nicipal  and  royal  power  which  in  course  of  time  became  able 
to  initiate  schemes  for  the  development  of  great  maritime 
enterprises. 

But  for  a  long  while  the  energy  of  Europe  was  expended 
in  resisting  the  invasion  of  the  Seljuk  Turks.  Moreover,  by 
the  successes  of  these  latter,  schemes  of  colonization  were 
frustrated  and  commercial  intercourse  with  the  East  was 
blocked.  Paralyzed  for  years  by  this  barbarian  invasion, 
European  commerce  slowly  revived  as  the  Teutonic  and 
Roman  elements  of  a  moribund  civilization  were  gradually 
fused  into  something  resembling  homogeneity.  The  civil 
law,  through  that  series  of  barbarian  codes  which  so  largely 
supplanted  the  Corpus  Juris,  helped  to  promote  the  growth 
of  ideas  regarding  the  binding  force  of  contracts ;  while  the 
Church,  through  its  moral  training  and  reinforced  by  canon 
law,  did  much  to  unite  western  Europe  into  a  confederation 
of  States  whose  political  and  religious  ideals  were  essen 
tially  the  same.  The  development  of  popular  interests  was 
marked  by  the  rise  of  two  groups  of  towns  created  by  the 
trade  which  took  the  place  of  the  commerce  of  antiquity. 
The  Hansa  towns  of  the  North  owed  their  origin  to  the 
growth  of  Teutonic  States  which  had  been  carved  out  of 
old  imperial  provinces;  but  the  commerce  of  the  East  fos 
tered  the  advancement  of  a  number  of  Italian  communities 
which  in  course  of  time  recalled  the  faded  splendors  of 
Athens  and  Corinth.  Of  these  the  most  important  were 
Venice  and  Genoa. 

The  wealth  of  Venice  originally  depended  upon  its  trade 
in  salt  and  fish — exceedingly  important  commodities  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  when  all  the  world  observed  Lent  and  fast 
days.  But  the  commerce  of  the  city  generalized  and 
expanded  rapidly,  particularly  after  the  seventh  century, 
when  a  republican  constitution  was  adopted.  The  time 
came  when  Venetian  ships  found  their  way  to  all  the  ports 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS  45 

of  Europe  and  Asia.  Aided  by  their  advantageous  location, 
the  industry  of  the  Venetians  early  gained  control  of  the 
imports  of  the  East,  which  constituted  their  town  the  empo 
rium  of  southern  Europe.  These  same  advantages  secured 
for  the  "  Mistress  of  the  Adriatic  "  the  privilege  of  transport 
ing  the  Crusaders  to  the  East;  this  gave  her  an  enormous 
advantage  over  Genoa,  her  most  formidable  commercial  rival. 
Another  consummate  stroke  of  policy  resulted  in  the  com 
plete  supremacy  of  Venetian  interests  throughout  the  Orient 
and  gave  to  Venetian  shipping  the  unqualified  rule  of  the 
seas.  Never  heartily  in  sympathy  with  the  Crusades,  Con 
stantinople  had  become  jealous  of  the  trading  facilities  en 
joyed  by  the  Venetians  on  the  Black  Sea,  and  toward  the 
end  of  the  eleventh  century  began  to  put  serious  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  their  continuation.  Incensed  at  this,  the 
Venetians  succeeded  in  persuading  the  leaders  of  the  Fourth 
Crusade  to  attack  Constantinople  herself,  and  that  city  was 
captured  by  them  in  1204.  Until  this  time  the  capital  of 
the  Eastern  Empire  had  been  the  centre  of  the  trade  of  the 
Levant,  as  well  as  mistress  of  the  great  western  route  to 
Asia.  The  situation  was  now  entirely  changed,  and  the 
commercial  supremacy  transferred  to  Venice.  It  is  true, 
however,  that  Venice  did  not  long  enjoy  undisputed  sway 
over  her  extensive  naval  domain.  The  commerce  of  Con 
stantinople  was  not  to  be  annihilated  at  a  blow.  Amalfi,  on 
the  Gulf  of  Salerno,  one  of  the  first  communities  in  Italy 
to  win  its  independence  by  overthrowing  the  ducal  power, 
had  for  years  been  sending  fleets  to  Egypt,  Syria,  and  Greece. 
Pisa  also  had  shared  in  the  Oriental  trade  until  supplanted 
by  Genoa.  In  those  cities  were  born  the  great  discoverers 
whose  exploits  are  to  claim  our  attention ;  and  the  commer 
cial  enterprise  and  rivalry  which  have  been  briefly  alluded  to 
provided  to  a  large  extent  the  force  which  was  to  send  those 
explorers  forth. 

Essential  also  to  the  present  consideration  are  the  great 
mediaeval  trade  routes  which  were  of  such  vital  impor 
tance,  not  only  to  the  Italian  republics,  but  to  the  entire 


46  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

civilized  world.  These  routes,  the  arteries  of  material  life, 
must  be  kept  in  mind  if  we  are  to  understand  the  effect 
produced  by  the  onward  march  of  Islam.  In  the  Middle 
Ages  the  commerce  of  Europe  appears  to  have  been  effected 
by  two  distinct  routes.  The  first  of  these  was  the  Mediter 
ranean  route,  which  controlled  the  products  of  the  East ;  the 
other  was  by  way  of  the  Danube,  by  which  came  the  northern 
and  western  traffic.  The  chief  routes  to  Asia  in  the  thirteenth 
century  numbered  three ;  they  were  as  follows :  first  in  im 
portance  was  that  from  India  and  the  west  coast  of  Asia  by 
water  past  Basra  on  the  Persian  Gulf  to  Bagdad.  From  the 
latter  city  merchants  sailed  along  the  Tigris  until  they 
reached  a  point  near  Seleucia  and  Antioch,  whence  they 
went  to  the  Orontes,  then  to  the  coast  of  the  Levant. 
The  second  route  followed  the  same  course  as  the  one  just 
described  until  the  point  of  leaving  the  Tigris,  and  then 
proceeded  over  the  highlands  of  Asia  Minor  and  Armenia 
to  the  port  of  Trebizond  on  the  Black  Sea,  where  Venetian 
vessels  met  those  of  Asia.  In  those  days,  Bagdad  was  an 
important  centre  for  both  these  routes ;  and  to  it  were  sent, 
not  only  the  exports  of  Persia  and  Arabia,  but  also  those 
from  Egypt  and  furthest  India.  The  third  great  mediaeval 
route  between  Europe  and  the  East  was  from  India  to  Aden, 
by  water,  thence  up  the  Red  Sea  to  some  convenient  landing 
place.  Here  the  cargo  was  unloaded  and  transported  over 
land  to  the  Nile,  thence  by  river  as  far  as  Cairo.  From 
here  it  was  shipped  by  canal  to  Alexandria,  whence  Vene 
tian  and  Genoese  fleets  were  ready  to  carry  it  to  the  West. 
By  these  three  routes  Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages  obtained 
its  supplies  of  spices,  perfume,  sugar,  gum,  cotton,  silk, 
precious  stones,  and  the  numerous  other  luxuries  of  tropical 
lands. — (Gibbin's  History  of  Commerce  in  Europe?) 

But  there  arose  in  the  East  a  power  destined  to  seize  in 
turn  the  key  to  each  of  these  routes  and  eventually  to 
occupy  Constantinople  itself.  The  Turks  began  to  be 
heard  of  in  the  sixth  century  of  the  Christian  era.  From 
being  at  first  despised  slaves  of  the  Khan  of  Geougen,  they 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS 


47 


in  course  of  time,  under  bold  leadership,  rose  to  an  impor 
tant  position  through  conquest  in  Asia.  Devout  Moham 
medans,  the  Turks  in  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century 
gave  birth  to  a  new  sect  of  their  faith  and  race,  known  to 
history  as  the  Ottoman.  These  fanatical  disciples  of  the 
Koran  swept  with  drawn  scimitars  through  the  Asiatic 
continent,  and,  under  leaders  like  Mohammed  and  Amu- 
rath  II.,  continued  their  triumphant  march  through  a  large 
portion  of  the  East,  cutting  off  the  trade  hitherto  carried  on 
by  Christian  countries.  In  1453,  the  Turks  captured  Con 
stantinople  and  thereby  possessed  themselves  of  the  portal 
through  which  passed  the  bulk  of  the  Oriental  traffic. 
Under  Mohammed  II.,  the  Ottoman  Empire  was  firmly 
established  in  the  south;  and  as  the  realm  of  these  enemies 
of  Christianity  enlarged,  European  merchants  visited  Asia 
with  less  and  less  frequency.  What  Eastern  commerce 
there  was  passed  through  the  grasping  hands  of  the  new 
rulers  of  Constantinople. 

This  aggrandizement  of  the  Ottoman  power  was  destined 
to  give  a  decisive  turn  to  the  course  of  history,  by  compel 
ling  Europe  to  find  new  expedients  to  meet  the  demands  of 
her  own  subsistence.  Liberal  sects  of  the  Mohammedan 
faith,  like  the  Saracens  and  the  Moors,  had  not  only  pro 
moted  intercourse  between  the  two  continents,  but  had 
successfully  fostered  the  arts  and  sciences.  But  the  Otto 
man  Turk  was  another  sort  of  being.  Ignorant,  brutal, 
avaricious,  in  stretching  his  dominion  across  the  Byzantine 
Empire,  he  strangled  simultaneously  its  material  progress 
and  its  intellectual  life.  There  arose  in  Europe  an  imme 
diate  and  universal  desire  to  discover  some  all-water  route  to 
the  East,  by  which  merchants  could  come  and  go  without 
molestation.  This  situation  thrust  into  prominence  the  geo 
graphical  knowledge  of  antiquity,  now  made  accessible — a 
good  resulting  from  evil — through  the  influence  of  Greek 
scholars  fleeing  from  Constantinople  to  the  Italian  cities. 
Men  began  to  turn  to  Ptolemy,  Seneca,  Strabo,  Aris 
totle,  and  Plato;  and  not  only  was  their  intellectual  vigor 


48  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

benefited  thereby,  but  in  those  old  philosophers  they  found 
intimations  of  that  knowledge  which  their  material  position 
was  beginning  to  demand.  Also,  the  accounts  of  the  travels 
of  Marco  Polo  acquired  a  new  importance.  Is  the  earth 
flat  or  round  ?  What  is  the  relative  proportion  of  land  and 
water?  Can  India  be  reached  by  some  all-water  route  by 
sailing  either  in  an  easterly  or  a  westerly  direction?  Is  it 
possible  to  sail  to  Cathay  or  Cipango  and  there  find  the 
supply  of  those  luxuries  of  which  there  is  growing  in 
Europe  a  conscious  demand?  These  were  the  questions 
which  began  peremptorily  to  require  practical  answers. 

The  rapid  development  of  Europe  after  the  thirteenth 
century,  following  its  intercourse  with  Oriental  countries, 
brought  about  by  the  Crusades,  with  the  consequent  expan 
sion  of  commerce,  the  growth  of  national  solidarity  under 
the  concentrating  power  of  the  monarchical  institution  fast 
supplanting  the  old  feudalism,  the  revival  of  classical  learn 
ing,  the  invention  of  printing,  with  the  resulting  increase  and 
spread  of  knowledge,  all  contributed  to  quicken  the  mind 
and  imagination  of  European  peoples  to  seek  new  fields  of 
speculation  and  action.  But  without  better  guiding  appliances 
exploration  could  go  no  further.  Magnetic  polarity  had  long 
been  known  among  the  people  of  the  Orient,  but  its  use  was 
not  applied  to  the  guidance  of  mariners  until  the  fourteenth 
century.  The  reason  for  this  is  illustrated  in  a  letter  written 
by  Dante's  tutor,  Brunette  Latini,  to  Guido  Cavalcanti, 
of  Florence,  in  the  year  1258.  Describing  a  visit  which 
he  paid  to  Roger  Bacon,  the  philosophic  monk  at  Oxford, 
among  other  things  he  says : 

"  The  Parliament  being  summoned  to  assemble  at  Oxford, 
I  did  not  fail  to  see  Friar  Bacon  as  soon  as  I  arrived,  and 
(among  other  things)  he  showed  me  a  black  ugly  stone, 
called  a  magnet,  which  has  the  surprising  property  of  draw 
ing  iron  to  it;  and  upon  which,  if  a  needle  be  rubbed,  and 
afterwards  fastened  to  a  straw,  so  that  it  shall  swim  upon 
water,  the  needle  will  instantly  turn  toward  the  pole-star; 


Copyright,  /yoj,  bv  George  Barrie  &  Sons. 


Prince  Henry  of  Portugal,  surnamed  "The  Navigator.11  After 
the  miniature  in  the  Chronicle  of  the  Discovery  and  Conquest  of  Guinea 
by  Gomes  Kames  de  A/urara,  begun  in  1448  and  completed  in  1453. 
NO<T.V  in  the  Bihlintheque  Nationale,  Paris. 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS 


49 


therefore,  be  the  night  ever  so  dark,  so  that  neither  moon 
nor  star  be  visible,  yet  shall  the  mariner  be  able,  by  the 
help  of  the  needle,  to  steer  his  vessel  right. 

"This  discovery,  which  appears  useful  in  so  great  a 
degree  to  all  who  travel  by  sea,  must  remain  concealed 
until  other  times,  because  no  master-mariner  dares  to  use 
it  lest  he  should  fall  under  a  supposition  of  his  being  a 
magician ;  nor  would  even  the  sailors  venture  themselves 
out  to  sea  under  his  command  if  he  took  with  him  an 
instrument  which  carries  so  great  an  appearance  of  being 
constructed  under  the  influence  of  some  infernal  spirit. 
A  time  may  come  when  these  prejudices,  which  are  of 
such  great  hindrance  to  researches  into  the  secrets  of  na 
ture,  will  probably  be  no  more;  and  then  it  will  be  that 
mankind  shall  reap  the  benefit  of  the  labors  of  such  learned 
men  as  Friar  Bacon,  and  do  justice  to  that  industry  and 
intelligence  for  which  he  and  they  now  meet  with  no  other 
return  than  obloquy  and  reproach." 

From  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century,  the  mari 
ner's  compass,  having  first  come  into  use  at  Amalfi,  gradu 
ally  spread  until  it  became  a  recognized  necessity  among 
seamen.  The  instrument  known  as  the  astrolabe,  by  which 
altitudes  could  be  taken,  also  received  the  attention  of 
scientists,  until  it  reached  perfection  under  the  hands 
of  Martin  Behaim  in  1484.  Now  for  the  first  time  sailors 
were  enabled  with  confidence  to  leave  the  shore  and  land 
ward  marks  and  navigate  the  broad  seas  by  the  aid  of  these, 
instruments. 

Of  the  many  great  names  belonging  to  this  fruitful  period 
in  the  history  of  exploration,  few  stand  out  more  con 
spicuously  than  that  scion  of  Portuguese  royalty  who  is 
known  to  the  world  as  Prince  Henry  the  Navigator.  This 
ardent  student  of  the  physical  world  inherited  no  little  of  the 
dash,  courage,  and  energy  of  the  Plantagenets  through  his 
mother  Philippa,  who  was  the  daughter  of  John  of  Gaunt. 
Born  in  1394,  Prince  Henry  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 


50  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

life  in  promoting  enterprises  of  discovery;  and  when  he 
died,  in  1460,  he  had  very  materially  advanced  the  practical 
knowledge  of  the  human  race.  His  first  experience  in  the 
active  life  of  manhood  had  been  gained  in  those  contests 
which  were  waged  for  so  many  years  by  Spain  and  Portugal 
with  the  Moors.  While  on  an  expedition  to  the  north 
coast  of  Africa  in  the  prosecution  of  this  war,  the  fact  that 
the  continent  extended  southward  was  first  brought  to  his 
attention.  Portugal,  having  rid  herself  of  the  Moors,  and 
also  of  the  pirates  who  had  long  infested  her  coasts,  was 
now  at  liberty  to  seek  a  direction  for  national  expansion. 
In  common  with  the  rest  of  Europe,  the  Portuguese  suf 
fered  from  the  throttling  of  intercontinental  traffic  by  the 
Ottoman  power.  They  had  been  largely  dependent  on 
the  exterminated  Moors  for  their  luxuries.  This  supply 
now  having  been  destroyed,  and  the  rising  power  of  Castile 
presenting  a  barrier  between  it  and  the  rest  of  Europe, 
Portugal  was  compelled  to  look  across  the  seas  for  possi 
bilities  of  enrichment  and  expansion. 

In  the  desire  to  find  out  what  he  could  about  Africa,  in 
1418  Prince  Henry  took  up  his  residence  on  the  promon 
tory  of  Sagres.  There  he  remained  in  the  pursuance  of 
his  investigations  until  the  day  of  his  death.  Like  other 
geographical  students  of  his  time,  Prince  Henry  believed 
that  the  water  route  to  India  was  to  be  found  by  sailing 
down  the  west  African  coast,  until  an  opening  was  found 
by  which  the  easterly  turn  could  be  made.  Consequently, 
the  first  work  required  was  the  exploration  of  the  whole 
of  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  In  order  to  prosecute  his  geo 
graphical  and  mathematical  researches,  Prince  Henry  estab 
lished  a  school  at  Sagres  for  the  teaching  of  map  drawing  and 
navigation.  To  this  institution  he  drew  men  of  learning 
and  skilful  mariners  from  all  parts  of  Europe.  Opportunely 
for  his  purpose,  the  order  of  the  Templars,  which  had  been 
driven  out  of  the  other  countries  of  Europe,  sought  and 
found  protection  in  the  Catalonian  Peninsula.  The  prince 
became  Grand  Master  of  the  order,  and  changed  its  name 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS  51 

to  the  Order  of  Christ.  He  applied  its  funds  to  defraying 
the  cost  of  his  enterprises  and  expeditions,  justifying  this 
course  by  the  belief,  or  at  least  the  assertion,  that  he  was 
thereby  spreading  the  Christian  religion.  When  the  prince 
first  began  to  send  his  ships  down  the  African  coast,  the 
furthest  point  that  had  been  sighted  in  a  southerly  direction 
was  Cape  Bojador.  The  discovery  of  the  extreme  southern 
part  of  Africa  was  looked  upon  in  those  days,  says  Mark- 
ham,  exactly  as  the  discovery  of  the  North  Pole  is  now. 
"  Fools  asked  what  was  the  use  of  it.  Half-hearted  men 
said  it  was  impossible.  Officials  said  it  was  impractical. 
Nevertheless,  Prince  Henry  said  that  it  could  be  done,  and 
moreover  that  it  should  be  done."  It  was  this  zeal,  de 
votion,  and  determination  which  resulted  in  founding  the 
Portuguese  power  in  the  East  Indies  and  in  Africa.  More 
over,  it  had  no  little  effect  on  the  discovery  of  America,  for 
the  example  of  Prince  Henry  and  the  success  of  Portugal 
were  influential  in  stimulating  Columbus  to  make  his  at 
tempt  and  in  persuading  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  to  support 
his  endeavor. 

The  motto  of  Prince  Henry  was  "  Le  Talent  de  Bien 
Faire" — the  desire  to  do  good.  His  life  was  true  to  this 
maxim,  for  his  aspiration  was  always  greater  than  his 
achievements.  He  did  not  live  to  realize  his  hope  of  the 
circumnavigation  of  Africa.  But  it  was  under  his  direc 
tion  and  as  a  result  of  his  endeavor  that  the  Canaries,  the 
Azores,  Porto  Santo,  Madeira,  and  Cape  Verd  Islands  were 
made  known  to  fifteenth  century  Europe.  It  is  true  that 
some  of  these  discoveries  had  been  anticipated  by  Italian 
sailors  during  the  preceding  century,  but  knowledge  of  this 
fact  had  not  been  treasured.  Prince  Henry  probably  also 
made  use  of  the  story  of  Robert  Machim,  the  young  Eng 
lishman  who  had  accidentally  found  his  way  to  Madeira 
and  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  during  the  reign  of  Ed 
ward  III. — (Major's  Life  of  Prince  Henry,  the  Navigator,  69.) 

The  rounding  of  Cape  Bojador,  on  the  northwestern 
coast  of  Africa,  was  the  work  which  so  long  baffled  the 


52  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

endeavors  of  the  prince.  Sailors  had  always  believed  that 
Cape  de  Nao,  in  north  latitude  28°— 45°,  was  the  utmost 
limit  of  safe  navigation.  After  years  of  experiment,  and  all 
manner  of  liberal  promises  on  the  part  of  Henry,  they  would 
return  to  Sagres  with  the  same  discouraging  tidings  that  they 
had  been  unable  to  pass  this  stormy  point.  Persevering, 
notwithstanding  these  many  disappointments,  the  prince  at 
last  found  the  right  man  in  Gil  Eannes,  who,  with  a  larger 
vessel  than  usual,  propelled  both  by  oars  and  sails,  rounded 
Cape  Bojador  in  1436  and  anchored  fifty  leagues  below  it. 
In  bidding  farewell  to  this  mariner  about  to  set  forth  on  his 
daring  voyage,  the  prince  is  reported  to  have  said:  "You 
cannot  incur  such  peril  that  the  promised  reward  shall  not 
be  commensurate  therewith.  It  is  very  strange  to  me  that 
you  should  be  governed  by  a  fear  of  something  of  which  you 
are  ignorant,  for  if  the  things  reported  had  any  authen 
tication,  I  should  not  find  fault  with  you  for  believing 
them.  The  stories  of  the  four  seamen  driven  out  of  their 
course  to  Flanders  or  to  the  ports  to  which  they  were  sail 
ing  are  not  to  be  credited,  for  they  had  not  and  could  not 
have  used  the  needle  and  the  chart.  But  do  you  go  not 
withstanding,  and  make  your  voyage  without  being  influenced 
by  their  opinions,  and,  by  the  grace  of  God,  you  will  not 
fail  to  secure,  by  your  enterprise,  both  honor  and  compen 
sation."  The  success  of  Gil  Eannes  made  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  both  navigation  and  discovery ;  it  silenced  for  all 
time  the  popular  superstition,  based  on  the  old  Zone  theory 
of  the  ancients,  that  it  was  impossible  to  sail  very  far  south 
ward  without  encountering  those  seas  of  boiling  water  which 
were  believed  to  form  in  the  Torrid  Zone  the  counterpart 
of  the  frozen  oceans  of  the  North  and  South. 

The  way  to  India  now  seemed  likely  to  be  found,  unless, 
as  some  asserted,  the  Atlantic  and  Indian  Oceans  should 
turn  out  to  be  inland  seas.  Interrupted  for  a  while  by 
political  troubles  at  home,  Prince  Henry  resumed  his  nau 
tical  labors  in  1441,  and  prosecuted  them  with  unremitting 
energy  until  his  death.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  in  1442 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS 


53 


one  of  his  ships  returned  with  a  cargo  of  captured  negroes, 
and  thus  was  first  introduced  into  Europe  that  system  of 
African  slavery  which  was  afterward  to  gain  such  an 
enduring  hold  in  the  New  World.  It  is  undoubtedly  true 
that  the  character  of  Prince  Henry  has  been  considerably 
idealized  by  historians.  There  is  no  need  to  minimize 
his  persevering  devotion  to  projects  of  discovery,  or  the 
reputed  success  attending  his  efforts.  But  it  is  very  rare 
that  the  desire  for  profit  has  not  entered  largely  into  the 
motives  prompting  such  enterprises;  and  this  Portuguese 
prince  was  not  an  exception  to  the  rule.  He  had  heard 
from  the  Moors  of  the  African  coast  that  gold  dust  and 
slaves  might  be  obtained  in  abundance  on  the  coast  south 
of  Cape  Bojador.  His  vessels,  when  they  returned  without 
having  pressed  their  investigations  so  far  as  he  had  hoped, 
did  not  come  with  empty  hulls.  While  exploration  may 
have  been  the  primary  charge  in  their  commission,  they 
were  licensed  to  take  slaves  where  and  how  they  might  find 
them,  and  the  prince  reserved  to  himself  a  fifth  part  of  the 
result.  On  one  occasion,  six  caravels  brought  back  from 
the  Garzas  Islands  two  hundred  and  sixteen  persons  who 
were  doomed  to  slavery.  Of  these  Henry  received  forty- 
six.  He  recorded  his  pleasure  on  this  occasion,  ascribing 
it  to  the  fact  that  these  slaves  had  been  saved  from  ever 
lasting  perdition.  It  was  deemed  a  mercy  to  kidnap  negroes 
on  the  African  coast,  who  otherwise  were  doomed  to  eternal 
punishment  as  heathens. 

Prince  Henry's  death  in  1460  naturally  checked  for  a 
time  the  work  of  discovery  along  the  west  African  coast,  for 
he  had  no  successor  who,  like  himself,  was  willing  to  throw 
into  this  labor  all  the  enthusiasm  and  activity  of  a  strong 
mind  consecrated  to  a  single  end.  Nor  was  there  another 
like  himself  who  could  inspire  his  agents  with  the  invincible 
courage  and  resolution  which  dominated  his  own  personality, 
But  that  such  an  influence  could  perish  was  impossible,  and 
the  cause  of  discovery  quickly  recovered  from  the  momen 
tary  check  given  it  by  his  death.  Between  1471  and  1482, 


54  DISCO7ERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Portuguese  sailors  not  only  touched  the  Guinea  and  Gold 
coasts,  but  in  the  latter  year  Diogo  Cao  discovered  the 
mouth  of  Zair,  or  Congo  River.  In  1486,  Bartholomeu 
Diaz  unconsciously  sailed  around  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Another  Portuguese,  four  years  later,  went  to  Abyssinia. 
Finally,  in  1498  Vasco  da  Gama  proved  the  correctness  of 
Prince  Henry's  conviction  by  boldly  doubling  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  and  landing  on  the  coast  of  Malabar.  Through  the 
success  incident  to  these  efforts  to  find  an  all-water  route  to 
the  East,  the  western  cities  of  the  Iberian  peninsula,  particu 
larly  Lisbon,  acquired  an  immense  ascendency  in  the  world 
of  commerce.  Men  of  every  rank  and  vocation  were  at 
tracted  thither,  and  among  them,  as  we  shall  see,  was 
Christopher  Columbus.  The  cosmopolitan  and  progressive 
character  of  this  great  city  must  have  tended  to  broaden  the 
view  and  sharpen  the  ambition  of  all  who  came  within  its 
influence.  Says  Emilio  Castelar:  "So  many  foreigners  dwelt 
in  Lisbon  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  that  its 
chronicler  calls  it  a  vast  city  of  many  and  widely  diverse 
inhabitants.  It  differed  from  Venice,  where  three  elements 
predominated — the  Greek,  the  Slav,  and  the  Latin.  It  must 
rather  have  been  like  such  modern  cities  as  Buenos  Ayres, 
New  York,  and  many  other  cities  of  America,  peopled  by 
immigrants  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe. 
The  world  was  growing  broader  under  the  influence  of 
Lisbon,  and  the  mind  of  man  was  expanding  under  the 
influence  of  a  widened  sky  and  earth,  while,  beyond  doubt, 
ancient  interests  and  beliefs  were  dwindling  in  proportion  to 
the  world's  advance  and  the  growth  of  human  intellect." 

Though  he  may  not  have  been  moved  by  so  unmixed  a 
love  of  science  as  is  taken  for  granted  by  the  early  histo 
rians,  it  was  to  Prince  Henry  that  Portugal  was  indebted  for 
the  laying  of  the  foundations  of  an  intellectual  and  material 
influence  which  meant  a  tremendous  advance  for  the  inter 
ests  of  that  country.  This  ambition  to  explore  and  dominate 
Africa,  largely  instigated  as  it  was  by  the  desire  for  the 
profits  resulting  from  the  slave  trade,  caused  the  numerous 


EUROPE  AND  ASIA  BEFORE  COLUMBUS  55 

voyages  of  discovery  to  start  from  the  ports  of  the  Iberian 
peninsula  rather  than  from  Venice  and  Genoa.  Thus  the 
star  of  commercial  empire  waned  on  the  Adriatic  and  the 
Mediterranean,  and  its  brilliance  was  by  the  ports  of  those 
seas  never  again  recovered.  Lisbon  was  for  a  time  to 
occupy  the  chief  position  in  the  history  of  European  prog 
ress,  because  its  merchants  were  the  most  enthusiastic  in 
pushing  the  work  of  exploration,  and  its  port  the  most  con 
venient  from  which  voyages  might  be  sent  forth  in  search 
of  the  undiscovered  lands  bordering  the  Atlantic.  Never 
theless,  holding  in  view  the  future  developments  of  this 
history,  we  must  be  careful  to  note  that  in  nearly  all  cases 
the  men  who  commanded  the  Portuguese  ships  were  Ital 
ians  who  had  gained  their  experience  in  the  service  of  the 
Italian  republics.  Among  those  who  flocked  to  Lisbon  and 
presented  in  themselves  the  practical  sea  knowledge  and  the 
hardihood  demanded  by  exploits  of  discovery  were  many 
Venetians  and  Genoese.  If  Columbus  had  been  enabled 
to  consummate  his  great  undertaking  at  the  time  he  first 
conceived  it,  it  is  Portugal  and  not  Spain  that  would  have 
reaped  the  benefit. 

It  remains  for  us  now,  in  the  consideration  of  our  present 
topic,  to  summarize  briefly  the  advancement  made  in  the 
direction  of  American  discovery,  previous  to  the  year  1492, 
by  means  of  European  endeavor  to  reach  by  sea  the  shores 
of  Asia.  In  the  first  place,  the  aggrandizement  of  Por 
tugal,  by  means  of  her  maritime  enterprises,  aroused  the 
emulation  of  the  rulers  of  other  European  countries  and 
rendered  them  willing  to  seek  profit  in  a  similar  manner. 
The  Pope  of  Rome  had  given  to  Portugal  a  nominal  title 
to  the  coast  of  Africa  as  far  as  to  the  confines  of  India. 
Thus  this  immense  field,  with  all  its  sources  of  wealth,  was 
preempted;  and  it  was  this  fact  that  largely  induced  Colum 
bus — who  did  not  dispute  the  possibility  of  reaching  India 
by  sailing  round  the  coast  of  Africa — to  endeavor  to  attain 
those  golden  strands  by  a  shorter  route.  Portuguese  explo 
ration  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  provided  an  extremely 


5 6  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORATION 

efficient  school  of  navigation.  The  men  who  had  braved 
the  dangers,  imaginary  and  real,  which  were  anticipated  be 
yond  Cape  Bojador  and  met  with  in  the  Bay  of  Benim  and 
off  Sierra  Leone,  were  trained  in  experience  and  in  hardi 
hood  to  face  whatever  might  be  encountered  on  the  broad 
expanse  of  the  Atlantic.  But  more  important  than  all  else 
was  the  geographical  knowledge  gained  in  those  southern 
voyages.  According  to  the  cosmography  of  the  ancients, 
the  southern  limit  of  Africa  extended  no  further  than  the 
equator.  So  long  as  this  notion  dominated  the  minds  of 
seamen,  there  was  no  need  for  seeking  to  reach  India  by  a 
westerly  all-sea  route.  The  African  course  was  shorter; 
but  when  Portuguese  exploration  indicated  the  immense 
southward  stretch  of  the  African  continent,  Columbus  de 
termined  that  a  transatlantic  voyage  was  worth  while.  Also, 
the  great  distance  to  which  the  Portuguese  succeeded  in 
pushing  to  the  south  caused  navigators  to  revive  the  belief 
in  the  possibility  of  circumnavigating  the  globe.  The  old 
superstitions  which  hitherto  had  frightened  men  from  making 
this  trial  were  discredited.  They  went  far  to  the  south 
and  yet  did  not  find  the  heat  unendurable,  nor  did  they 
come  to  a  region  belonging  to  another  world  where  goblins 
and  monsters  took  the  place  of  human  beings.  And  they 
were  able  to  return,  and  thus  disprove  the  idea  that,  the 
earth  being  round,  the  necessity  of  climbing  up  hill  would 
prevent  a  vessel  that  had  reached  the  under  side  of  the  earth 
from  getting  back.  Finally,  seamen  voyaging  among  the 
Canaries  and  the  Azores  must  have  noticed  the  constancy 
and  the  resulting  advantage  of  the  trade  winds.  Columbus, 
like  other  navigators  of  his  time,  became  acquainted  with 
the  fact  that  a  northeasterly  wind  prevailed  in  the  equatorial 
Atlantic,  and  the  advantage  of  this  was  not  by  him  forgotten 
in  his  calculation  of  the  possibilities  of  a  western  voyage  to 
the  Indies. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT 

No  EVENT  in  history  stands  isolated  and  alone.  The 
idea  of  the  sphericity  of  the  earth  did  not  come  to  Colum 
bus  by  a  flash  of  untraceable  inspiration.  A  belief  in  the 
possibility  of  reaching  the  Indies  by  way  of  the  west  was 
developed  by  him  from  the  conclusions  of  other  reasoners. 
That  Columbus  had  forerunners  in  his  theories  does  not 
diminish  the  magnitude  of  his  achievement,  any  more  than 
does  the  fact  that  mariners  had  accidentally  reached  the 
American  coast  previous  to  his  time.  What  he  did  was 
the  result  of  logical  thought  pursued  by  a  mind  undeterred 
by  the  opposition  of  the  universal  negative,  and  of  a  definite 
purpose  in  which  a  mighty  will  overcame  all  obstacles. 

There  has  been  much  controversy  among  students  and 
historians  concerning  both  the  year  and  the  place  of  the  birth 
of  Christopher  Columbus.  Various  dates  from  1430  to 
1456  have  been  assigned  to  this  event.  Washington  Irving, 
the  biographer  of  Columbus  most  popular  among  Ameri 
cans,  accepts  1435  as  the  precise  year.  In  this  he  has  the 
weighty  support  of  Navarrete,  a  writer  whose  authority 
the  student  is  predisposed  to  accept.  The  principal  evi 
dence  on  which  we  may  found  a  conclusion  contrary  to 
that  of  Navarrete  and  Irving  is  to  be  found  in  a  letter  written 
by  Columbus  to  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  in  1501.  In  this 
he  says :  "  Most  serene  Princes,  at  a  very  tender  age  I 
began  sailing  on  the  sea  and  I  have  continued  there  until 

57 


58  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

to-day :  and  the  self-same  calling  inclines  those  who  follow 
it  to  learn  the  secrets  of  this  world :  and  now,  having  passed 
forty  years,  which  I  spent  in  all  those  places  to  which  navi 
gations  are  made  at  the  present  time.  .  .  . "  Ferdinand 
Columbus,  in  his  history,  quoting  his  father's  words,  writes : 
u  I  commenced  to  navigate  at  fourteen  years  and  I  have 
always  followed  the  sea."  This  determines  what  was  that 
"  very  tender  age "  at  which  Columbus  began  his  seafaring 
life.  Calculating  from  these  dates  and  connecting  with  them 
the  fact  that  he  was  sixty  years  of  age  on  May  20,  1506,  the 
conclusion  is  that  Christopher  Columbus  was  born  in  the  year 
1446.  There  are  as  many  claims  made  by  various  places 
for  the  glory  of  having  been  the  scene  of  his  birth  as  there 
are  different  dates  suggested  of  that  event.  But  the  weight 
of  evidence  points  to  Genoa  with  preponderative  certainty. 
Antonio  Gallo,  a  citizen  of  Genoa,  was  contemporary  with 
Columbus,  and  wrote  an  account  of  his  expedition.  This 
he  began  with  the  following  words :  "  Christopher  and 
Bartholomew  Columbus,  brothers,  of  the  Ligurian  nation, 
sprung  from  plebeian  parentage,  and  supporting  themselves 
by  the  wages  of  wool-working  (the  father  being  a  weaver 
and  the  sons  were  at  times  carders),  about  this  time  acquired 
great  fame  throughout  all  Europe  by  a  deed  of  the  greatest 
daring  and  remarkable  novelty  in  human  affairs.  Although 
these  had  but  small  learning  in  their  youth,  when  they  were 
come  of  age  they  gave  themselves  to  navigation  after  the 
manner  of  their  race."  Another  citizen  of  Genoa,  named 
Senarega,  writing  at  the  same  time  on  the  affairs  of  his 
native  city,  also  gives  an  account  of  the  first  expedition. 
He  says  the  brothers  "sprung  from  plebeian  parentage  in 
Genoa."  In  the  Polyglot  Psalter  published  at  Genoa  in  1516, 
Agostino  Giustiniano,  a  bishop  of  Corsica,  commenting  on 
the  sentence  "and  their  words  have  gone  abroad  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth,"  in  the  Nineteenth  Psalm,  gives  an  ac 
count  of  the  finding  of  a  new  world  by  Christopher  Colum 
bus.  He  therein  declared  how  the  admiral  believed  himself 
to  be  selected  by  God  in  order  that  this  prophecy  might  be 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        59 

fulfilled.  He  also  supported  the  testimony  of  the  foregoing 
authorities  whom  we  have  quoted  to  the  effect  that  Colum 
bus  was  a  Genoese  of  common  parentage.  Ferdinand,  the 
son  of  Christopher  Columbus,  took  great  umbrage  at  this 
belittling  of  his  paternal  ancestry.  In  the  beginning  of  his 
history,  he  states  how  he  is  incited  by  others  to  prove  that 
his  father  had  descended  from  illustrious  blood;  but  that  his 
immediate  predecessors  had  come  to  poverty  through  bad 
fortune;  that,  indeed,  he  might  trace  his  pedigree  back  to  a 
Colone  mentioned  by  Tacitus.  But  although  he  mentions 
other  Colombi  who  had  in  recent  years  gained  for  them 
selves  great  renown  for  their  exploits  on  the  sea,  he  brings 
no  trustworthy  evidence  to  refute  the  testimony  of  the 
authorities  whom  we  have  quoted. 

In  the  endeavor  to  trace  the  events  of  the  youth  of 
Columbus,  we  again  encounter  conflicting  reports.  Ferdi 
nand,  in  whom  filial  regard  and  personal  vanity  combine  to 
form  a  desire  to  eulogize  his  father  in  every  possible  way, 
writes  as  follows :  "  I  assert,  therefore,  that  in  his  youth  he 
was  instructed  in  letters  and  studied  in  Pavia  enough  to 
understand  cosmography,  in  the  teachings  of  which  science 
he  took  great  delight ;  and  on  account  of  which  he  also 
studied  astrology  and  geometry,  as  these  sciences  are  so 
related  to  each  other  that  one  cannot  be  understood  apart 
from  the  other;  and  also  because  Ptolemy,  in  the  beginning 
of  his  cosmography,  says  that  one  cannot  be  a  good  cos- 
mographer  if  he  is  not  also  a  good  painter"  [of  charts] .  But 
if  the  admiral  followed  the  sea  from  the  time  that  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  and  previous  to  that  assisted  his  father 
in  wool  carding,  his  course  of  instruction  in  the  University 
of  Pavia  must  have  been  a  very  brief  one.  In  fact,  apart 
from  the  assertion  of  Ferdinand,  there  is  absolutely  no  evi 
dence  of  his  having  studied  there  at  all.  The  knowledge 
he  acquired  was  the  result  of  those  investigations  into  the 
writings  of  learned  men,  ancient  and  modern,  which  he  fol 
lowed  throughout  his  life,  combined  with  the  results  of  that 
habit  of  keen  observation  which  was  natural  to  him.  He 


60  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

was  an  enthusiast  in  his  profession  and  did  not  fail  to  avail 
himself  of  every,  even  most  remotely  collateral,  avenue  of 
learning  by  which  he  might  be  enabled  to  attain  its  highest 
possible  achievements.  In  the  letter  which  he  wrote  to 
King  Ferdinand  and  Queen  Isabella  in  1501,  he  also  says: 
u  I  have  dealt  and  talked  with  learned  people,  ecclesiastics 
as  well  as  laymen,  Latins,  Greeks,  Indians,  Moors,  and 
many  other  people  of  different  nations,  and  our  Lord  has 
favored  this  inclination,  and  I  have  received  from  him  the 
spirit  of  understanding.  He  has  made  me  very  skilful  in 
navigation,  and  to  know  much  in  astronomy,  in  geometry, 
and  mathematics.  God  has  given  me  the  knowledge  and 
ability  to  portray  the  globe,  and  also  to  delineate  cities, 
rivers,  islands,  and  ports  in  their  proper  situation.  During 
my  life  I  have  examined  and  endeavored  to  see  all  books 
of  cosmography,  history,  and  philosophy,  and  of  the  other 
sciences,  so  that  our  Lord  has  sensibly  opened  my  mind  in 
order  that  I  may  sail  from  here  to  the  Indies,  and  has  made 
me  extremely  anxious  to  do  it." 

There  is  little,  indeed,  that  we  know  certainly  of  Colum- 
bus's  early  life.  Ferdinand  gives  us  detailed  accounts  of 
adventurous  exploits  in  which  his  father  played  a  prominent 
part ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  researches  of  modern  historians 
have  with  fatal  unanimity  shown  that  these  accounts  are 
inconsistent  with  known  facts.  Such,  for  instance,  is  the 
story  of  the  discoverer's  connection  with  the  famous  corsair 
known  as  Columbus  the  Younger,  and  the  fight  with  the 
Venetian  galleys  off  Cape  St.  Vincent.  A  family  relation 
ship  is  claimed  between  Christopher  Columbus  and  Colum 
bus  the  Younger.  But  research  has  shown  the  latter  to 
have  been  not  a  Genoese  at  all,  but  a  French  subject. 
Also,  instead  of  this  adventure  being  the  means  of  intro 
ducing  Columbus  to  Lisbon  in  1485,  as  Ferdinand  states, 
at  the  date  in  question  he  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  Por 
tugal  to  advocate  his  theory  in  Spain.  In  a  letter  written  to 
their  Catholic  majesties,  in  1495,  he  says:  "It  happened 
to  me  that  King  Rene  (whom  God  has  taken  to  himself) 


DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        6l 

sent  me  to  Tunis  to  capture  the  galley  Fernandina,  and  on 
arriving  at  the  island  of  San  Pedro,  in  Sardinia,  I  learned 
that  there  were  two  ships  and  a  caracca  with  the  galley, 
which  so  alarmed  the  crew  that  they  resolved  to  proceed  no 
further,  but  to  return  to  Marseilles  for  another  vessel  and 
more  people;  upon  which,  being  unable  to  force  their  in 
clination,  I  yielded  to  their  wish,  and  having  first  changed 
the  points  of  the  compass,  spread  all  sail,  for  it  was  evening, 
and  at  daybreak  we  were  within  the  Cape  of  Carthagena, 
while  all  believed  for  a  certainty  that  they  were  going  to 
Marseilles."  Some  recent  writers,  by  impugning  the  verac 
ity  of  his  son,  by  whom  the  letter  is  quoted,  even  deny  the 
admiral  the  glory  of  this  exploit.  But  the  character  of 
the  action  naturally  disposes  us  to  accept  its  credibility. 
The  determination  shown  and  the  stratagem  employed  to 
overcome  the  unwillingness  of  the  sailors  are  extremely 
illustrative  of  the  unswerving  will  exhibited  and  the  methods 
resorted  to  in  the  first  voyage  of  discovery.  Nevertheless, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  no  little  difficulty  in 
reconciling  what  seems  to  be  the  latest  date  at  which  this 
occurrence  could  have  taken  place  with  the  age  of  Colum 
bus,  providing  the  year  which  we  have  accepted  as  that  of 
his  birth  be  correct. 

It  was  probably  about  the  year  1471  that  Columbus  went 
to  Portugal;  and  we  may  attribute  to  his  visit  thither  the 
awakening  of  his  determination  to  surpass  all  other  mariners 
in  the  work  of  terrestrial  discovery.  He  claims  to  have 
endeavored,  but  without  success,  to  gain  the  ear  of  the 
King  of  Portugal  to  his  project.  Las  Casas  quotes  a  letter 
from  Columbus  to  the  sovereigns  of  Spain,  written  in  1505, 
in  which  he  says :  "  God,  our  Lord,  miraculously  sent  me 
hither  that  I  might  be  of  service  to  your  Highnesses.  I  say 
miraculously,  because  I  took  refuge  in  Portugal,  where  the 
King  of  that  Country  had  a  better  appreciation  of  discovery 
than  any  other:  He  put  to  shame  his  sight,  hearing,  and  all 
his  faculties,  for  during  fourteen  years  I  could  not  make  him 
understand  what  I  said." 


62  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Lisbon,  Columbus  married  Phi- 
lippa  Moniz,  the  daughter  of  Pedro  Moniz  Prestrello.  The 
latter  being  dead,  the  newly  married  couple  took  up  their 
residence  with  the  bride's  mother  on  the  island  of  Porto 
Santo.  Ferdinand  says  that  the  widow  put  into  the  hands 
of  Columbus  many  valuable  documents  and  sea  charts  which 
had  been  left  by  her  husband.  However  this  may  have  been, 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  Columbus  spent  the  first  part 
of  his  sojourn  in  Portugal  in  developing  his  scheme  for 
reaching  the  Indies,  and  the  latter  part  in  the  fruitless  en 
deavor  to  enlist  the  assistance  of  the  king.  Perhaps  the  incep 
tion  of  his  idea  originated  in  the  practical  observations  which 
he  made  while  at  Madeira..  Ferdinand  Columbus  says :  "  He 
learned,  also,  from  many  pilots,  experienced  in  the  western 
voyages  to  the  Azores  and  the  island  of  Madeira,  facts  and 
signs  which  convinced  him  that  there  was  an  unknown  land 
towards  the  west.  Martin  Vicente,  pilot  of  the  King  of  Por 
tugal,  told  him  that  at  a  distance  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
leagues  from  Cape  St.  Vincent,  he  had  taken  from  the  water 
a  piece  of  wood  sculptured  very  artistically,  but  not  with  an 
iron  instrument.  This  wood  had  been  driven  across  by  the 
west  wind,  which  made  the  sailors  believe  that  certainly 
there  were  on  that  side  some  islands  not  yet  discovered. 
Pedro  Correa,  the  brother-in-law  of  Columbus,  told  him, 
that  near  the  island  of  Madeira  he  had  found  a  similar  piece 
of  sculptured  wood  coming  from  the  same  direction.  He 
also  said  that  the  King  of  Portugal  had  received  information 
of  large  canes  having  been  taken  up  from  the  water  in  these 
parts,  which  between  one  knot  and  another  would  hold  nine 
bottles  of  wine;  and  Herrera  declares  that  the  King  had  pre 
served  these  canes  and  caused  them  to  be  shown  to  Colum 
bus.  The  colonists  of  the  Azores  related,  that  when  the 
wind  blew  from  the  west,  the  sea  threw  up,  especially  in 
the  islands  of  Graciosa  and  Fayal,  pines  of  a  foreign  species. 
Others  related,  that  in  the  island  of  Flores  they  found  one 
day  on  the  shore  two  corpses  of  men,  whose  physiognomy 
and  features  differed  entirely  from  those  of  our  coast." 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        63 

Columbus  did  not  content  himself  with  drawing  infer 
ences  solely  from  this  debris  which  the  wind  and  the  ocean 
currents  had  evidently  wafted  in  from  the  western  seas.  He 
consulted  philosophical  authorities  for  the  data  on  which  he 
might  form  his  own  geographical  conclusions.  He  knew 
of  the  existence-  of  India  and  Cathay.  It  was  a  matter  of 
common  report  that  Portuguese  vessels  were  endeavoring 
to  reach  those  rich  and  populous  lands  by  a  South  African 
route.  The  results  of  these  voyages  as  yet  were  not  such 
as  to  encourage  hopefulness  in  regard  to  the  final  result. 
Was  there  no  other  way  ?  The  determination  of  this  ques 
tion  was  the  task  to  which  the  Genoese  mariner  set  him 
self.  He  studied  and  pondered  over  every  geographical 
work  that  came  his  way,  until  he  had  formed  the  mental 
habit  of  seizing  upon  and  piecing  together  every  word  and 
theory  and  fact  which  to  any  degree  favored  the  suggestion 
of  the  possibility  of  reaching  the  East  by  way  of  the  West. 
His  vade  me  cum  was  the  Imago  Mundi  of  Cardinal  Pierre 
d'Ailly.  The  copy  which  belonged  to  him,  and  is  now 
preserved  in  the  Cathedral  of  Seville,  has  many  marginal 
notes  in  Columbus's  own  handwriting,  testifying  how  thor 
oughly  its  contents  were  digested  by  the  future  discoverer. 
This  work  abounds  with  quotations  from  Aristotle  and 
Strabo,  expressing  the  opinion  of  those  ancient  philosophers 
regarding  what  discoveries  might  be  made  were  western 
navigation  possible  of  accomplishment.  The  curtailment 
of  his  early  opportunities  for  the  acquirement  of  classical 
learning,  and  the  restriction  which  a  busy  life  must  have 
placed  upon  his  reading  in  the  ancient  tongues,  even  if  he 
had  acquired  them,  lead  us  to  surmise  that  he  owed  to 
D'Ailly's  quotations  nearly  all  that  he  knew  of  the  ancient 
authors. 

It  is  an  interesting  question,  but  one  that  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  certainly,  whether  or  not  Columbus  knew  of 
the  voyages  of  the  Norsemen  to  the  western  continent. 
In  a  letter  quoted  by  his  son,  he  says  that  in  the  year  1477 
uhe  sailed  a  hundred  leagues  beyond  the  island  of  Thule, 


64  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  southern  part  of  which  is  distant  from  the  equinoctial  line 
seventy-three  degrees  and  not  sixty-three,  as  some  assert; 
neither  does  it  lie  within  the  line  which  includes  the  west  of 
Ptolemy,  but  is  much  more  westerly.  To  this  island,  which 
is  as  large  as  England,  the  English,  especially  those  from 
Bristol,  go  with  their  merchandise.  At  the  time  that  I  was 
there  the  sea  was  not  frozen,  but  the  tides  were  so  great  as 
to  rise  and  fall  twenty-six  fathoms.  It  is  true  that  the  Thule 
of  which  Ptolemy  makes  mention  lies  where  he  says  it  does, 
and  by  the  moderns  it  is  called  Frislanda."  This  may  have 
been  the  Faroe  Islands,  but  in  all  probability  it  was  Iceland. 
In  any  case,  Columbus  nowhere  makes  mention  of  learning 
anything  there  that  materially  assisted  him  in  forming  his 
conclusions  concerning  the  westward  passage  to  Cathay. 

One  of  the  principal  arguments  by  which  it  is  said  that 
Columbus  convinced  himself  of  the  possibility  of  reaching 
India  by  a  transatlantic  voyage  was  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  earth's  surface  had  already  been  traversed,  leaving  only 
that  portion  lying  between  the  eastern  limits  reached  by 
Marinus  and  the  Azores  to  be  explored.  This,  he  con 
cluded,  could  not  be  more  than  a  third  of  the  whole  cir 
cumference  of  the  globe.  He  based  this  calculation  on  the 
opinion  of  Alfraganius,  an  Arabian  astronomer,  who  lived 
in  the  ninth  century,  and  who  allowed  only  fifty-six  and 
two-thirds  of  a  mile  to  a  degree  of  the  earth's  circum 
ference.  Thus  Columbus  was  led  to  suppose  that  a  few 
days'  sailing  would  bring  him  to  those  shores  of  Asia  which, 
as  he  believed,  were  washed  by  the  Atlantic.  He  also  an 
ticipated,  on  the  authority  of  the  philosophers  who  asserted 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  earth's  surface  was  land,  that  he 
would  encounter  islands  where  he  might  rest  and  recuper 
ate  while  making  for  the  Asiatic  continent.  For  instance, 
there  was  the  island  of  Antilia  or  that  of  the  Seven  Cities, 
the  existence  of  which  on  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic  had 
long  been  a  current  belief. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  examination  of  the  more 
immediate  influences  by  which,  as  it  is  alleged,  the  mind 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        65 

of  Columbus  was  prepared  for  the  undertaking  of  his  mo 
mentous  voyage.  First,  there  is  that  troublesome  story  of 
the  pilot,  which  some  historians  dismiss  with  scanty  words 
of  indifference,  but  which  is  worthy  of  careful  consideration. 
Francisco  Lopez  de  Gomara,  in  his  Historia  general  de  las 
Indias,  published  in  1553,  repeats  the  narrative  thus: 

"  A  caravel  navigating  on  our  Ocean  Sea  was  overtaken 
by  such  a  powerful  and  continuous  east  wind  that  it  was 
driven  upon  a  land  which  is  not  known  or  placed  on  the 
map  or  chart  of  the  navigator.  In  returning  from  that 
land  it  took  a  much  greater  time  than  was  consumed  in 
going  thither.  And  when  it  arrived  here  it  brought  only 
the  Pilot  and  three  or  four  other  mariners,  who  were  so 
sick  from  hunger  and  toil  that  they  died  in  the  Port  within 
a  short  time.  And  this  is  how  the  Indies  were  discovered 
through  the  misfortune  of  those  who  first  saw  them,  as 
their  lives  were  ended  without  enjoying  the  benefits  of  the 
discovery  and  without  leaving,  at  least  without  possessing, 
a  memorial  as  to  what  they  were  called,  where  they  were 
or  in  what  year  they  were  found.  However,  it  was  not 
through  any  fault  of  theirs,  but  through  the  malice  of 
others,  or  the  invidiousness  of  what  is  called  fortune.  And 
I  do  not  marvel  at  the  ancient  historians,  who  narrate  very 
great  deeds  from  little  ones,  or  from  obscure  beginnings, 
since  we  do  not  know  who  so  short  a  time  ago  found  the 
Indies,  which  is  such  a  novel  and  remarkable  thing.  The 
name  of  this  Pilot  has  not  even  been  preserved  to  us,  since 
all  perished  who  were  with  him.  Some  have  it  that  the  Pilot 
was  an  Andalusian,  who  was  trafficking  in  the  Canaries  and 
in  the  Madeiras  when  that  long  and  fatal  voyage  happened 
to  him.  Others  consider  that  he  was  a  Biscayan,  who 
traded  in  England  and  France;  and  others  a  Portuguese 
who  was  going  or  coming  from  Mina  or  India.  The  latter 
agrees  very  well  with  the  name  which  those  new  lands  took 
and  now  bear.  Also  some  say  that  the  caravel  took  shelter 
in  Portugal,  while  others  consider  that  it  was  in  the  Madeiras 


66  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

or  some  other  island  of  the  Azores.  But  no  one  affirms 
anything.  Only  all  agree  in  the  fact  that  this  Pilot  died 
in  the  house  of  Christopher  Columbus.  In  his  possession 
remained  the  papers  belonging  to  the  caravel  and  the  rela 
tion  of  all  that  long  voyage,  and  the  description  and  altitude 
of  the  lands  newly  seen  and  discovered." 

The  first  mention  of  this  story  is  by  Oviedo  in  his  work 
published  in  1535.  This  historian  ends  the  account  with 
a  flat  refusal  to  believe  it.  Herrera,  one  of  the  most  trust 
worthy  of  the  early  historians,  makes  no  mention  of  the 
tale  whatever.  Girolamo  Benzoni  repeats  Gomara's  story, 
but  calls  attention  to  the  very  patent  fact  that  the  latter 
mingled  falsehood  and  truth  with  striking  indifference. 
Garcilasso  de  la  Vega,  a  Peruvian,  repeats  the  legend  at 
greater  length  and  with  more  details.  He  gives  the  name 
of  the  pilot  as  Alonso  Sanchez  de  Huelva,  and  declares 
that  the  land  to  which  he  was  driven  was  none  other  than 
the  island  of  Hispaniola.  La  Vega's  account,  written  as  it 
was  after  a  lapse  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years, 
does  not  in  itself  warrant  any  considerable  attention  in  an 
investigation  of  the  truth  of  this  legend.  Nevertheless,  the 
fact  that  Las  Casas  repeats  the  story  is  evidence  that  it  was 
in  circulation  at  his  time. 

Henry  Vignaud,  in  a  work  designed  to  show  that  the 
Toscanelli  letters,  which  we  shall  shortly  consider,  were 
forgeries,  founds  this  assumption  on  what  he  believes  to  be 
the  probable  truth  of  the  pilot  story. — (Vignaud's  Toscanelli 
and  Columbus,  133.)  But  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any 
reason  for  concluding  that  either  the  legend  or  the  letters 
are  the  result  of  fabrication.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  in 
those  days  for  a  caravel  to  be  driven  far  out  of  its  course.  It 
was  as  little  uncommon  for  the  pilot  of  such  a  vessel  to  see 
or  to  imagine  that  he  saw  lands  or  islands  hitherto  uncharted. 
Columbus  was  in  the  habit  of  collecting  and  giving  weight 
to  all  such  indications  of  what  he  believed  to  be  the  fact 
regarding  the  western  seas.  And  even  if  we  accept  the 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        67 

statement  that  he  met  with  or  entertained  a  pilot  who  could 
materially  strengthen  his  theory,  this  does  not  diminish  the 
achievement  of  Columbus,  nor  does  it  prove  that  his  geo 
graphical  conclusions  were  not  reached  by  his  scientific 
study.  That  he  did  not  use  the  pilot  narrative  as  an 
effective  means  of  convincing  the  sovereigns  to  whom  he 
applied  for  support  at  a  time  when  he  was  in  such  dire  need 
of  convincing  argument  strongly  favors  the  belief  that  it 
was  not  so  complete  as  a  sailing  direction  as  Gomara  and 
the  others  would  have  us  believe. 

While  Columbus  was  in  Portugal,  musing  over  his  pur 
pose  and  planning  for  its  accomplishment,  he  bethought  him 
of  a  Florentine  scientist,  Paolo  Toscanelli  by  name,  who 
was  reputed  to  have  given  great  attention  to  the  matter 
with  which  his  own  mind  was  occupied.  He  wrote  to  this 
Florentine  philosopher  and  received  from  him  a  reply  in 
corporating  a  copy  of  a  letter  which  Toscanelli  had  already 
written  to  one  Fernando  Martinez;  he  also  received  a  copy 
of  a  marine  chart  which  the  Florentine  had  drawn.  These 
letters  we  will  quote  in  full : 


THE  LETTERS   OF   TOSCANELLI   TO   COLUMBUS 

"To  Christopher  Columbus,  Paul,  the  physician,  greeting: 
"  I  see  your  great  and  magnificent  desire  to  go  where  the 
spices  grow,  and  in  reply  to  your  letter  I  send  you  the  copy 
of  another  letter  which  I  wrote  a  long  time  ago  to  a  familiar 
friend  and  servant  of  the  Most  Serene  King  of  Portugal, 
before  the  wars  of  Castille,  in  reply  to  another  which  he 
wrote  me  about  the  said  matter  by  command  of  his  High 
ness;  and  I  send  you  another  seaman's  chart  like  that  which 
I  sent  to  him,  by  which  your  requests  will  be  satisfied;  the 
copy  of  my  letter  is  as  follows : 

u  l  It  pleased  me  greatly  to  learn  of  your  familiar  inter 
course  with  your  most  generous  and  most  magnificent  King, 
and  although  many  other  times  I  have  spoken  of  the  very 


68  DISCOFERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

short  route  from  here  to  the  Indies  where  spices  grow, — 
shorter  by  way  of  the  sea  than  that  which  you  follow  to 
Guinea, — you  tell  me  that  his  Highness  would  now  like 
from  me  some  declaration  and  demonstration  by  sight,  in 
order  that  he  may  understand  and  be  able  to  take  the  said 
route.  And  although  I  know  from  my  own  knowledge  that 
the  world  can  be  shown  as  it  is  in  the  form  of  a  sphere,  I 
have  determined  for  greater  facility  and  greater  intelligence 
to  show  the  said  route  by  a  chart  similar  to  those  which 
are  made  for  navigation,  and  thus  I  send  it  to  his  Highness 
made  and  drawn  by  my  hand :  in  which  all  the  end  of  the 
West  is  shown,  from  Ireland  to  the  south  as  far  as  the  end 
of  Guinea,  with  all  the  islands  which  lie  on  this  route;  in 
front  of  which  straight  to  the  west  the  commencement  of 
the  Indies  is  shown,  and  the  islands  and  places  where  you 
can  deviate  toward  the  equinoctial  line,  and  by  how  much 
space,  that  is  to  say,  in  how  many  leagues  you  can  reach 
those  most  fertile  places,  filled  with  all  kinds  of  spices  and 
jewels  and  precious  stones :  and  you  must  not  wonder  if  I 
call  the  place  where  the  spices  grow  West,  because  it  is 
commonly  said  that  they  grow  in  the  East',  but  whoever 
will  navigate  to  the  West  will  always  find  the  said  places 
in  the  West,  and  whoever  will  go  by  land  to  the  East  will 
always  find  the  same  places  in  the  East.  The  straight  lines 
which  are  shown  lengthwise  on  the  said  chart  show  the 
distance  from  West  to  East :  the  others  which  are  across 
show  the  distance  from  North  to  South.  Also  I  showed  in 
the  said  chart  many  places  in  the  region  of  India  which 
could  be  reached,  in  the  event  of  some  tempest  or  contrary 
winds,  or  any  other  event  which  might  not  be  expected  to 
occur,  and  also  in  order  that  all  those  regions  may  be  easily 
recognized, — and  because  of  this  you  should  be  greatly 
pleased.  And  know  that  in  all  those  islands  only  mer 
chants  live  and  traffic, — informing  you  that  there  is  as  great 
a  quantity  of  ships,  mariners,  and  merchants  with  merchan 
dise  there  as  in  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  especially  in  a 
most  noble  port  called  Zaiton,  where  every  year  one  hundred 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        69 

great  ships  are  loaded  and  unloaded  with  pepper,  besides  the 
many  other  ships  which  are  loaded  with  the  other  spices. 
This  country  is  very  populous,  and  in  it  there  are  many 
provinces  and  kingdoms  and  cities  without  number  under 
the  dominion  of  a  Prince  who  is  called  the  Great  Kan, 
whose  name  means  in  our  language,  King  of  Kings,  and 
whose  residence  during  most  of  the  time  is  in  the  province 
of  Cathay.  His  ancestors  wished  very  much  to  have  inter 
course  and  speech  with  the  Christians,  and  about  two  hun 
dred  years  ago  they  sent  to  the  Holy  Father,  in  order  that 
he  might  send  them  many  wise  and  learned  men  to  teach 
them  our  faith,  but  those  who  were  sent  turned  back  from 
the  journey  because  of  impediments;  and  also  an  ambas 
sador  came  to  the  Pope  Eugene,  who  related  to  him  the 
great  friendship  which  they  feel  for  the  Christians,  and  I 
spoke  much  with  him  of  many  things ;  of  the  grandeur  of 
the  royal  edifices,  and  of  the  great  width  and  length  of  the 
rivers,  a  wonderful  thing,  and  of  the  multitude  of  the  cities 
there  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  and  how  there  are  two 
hundred  cities  on  one  river  alone,  and  there  are  very  wide 
and  long  bridges  of  marble  ornamented  with  many  marble 
columns.  This  country  is  as  rich  as  any  which  may  be 
found,  and  not  only  can  great  profit  be  obtained  there  and 
many  things,  but  also  gold  and  silver  and  precious  stones 
and  all  kinds  of  spice  can  be  obtained  in  great  abundance, 
which  are  never  brought  to  these,  our  regions;  and  it  is 
true  that  wise  and  learned  men,  philosophers  and  astrolo 
gers  and  other  men  of  great  intelligence  in  all  arts,  govern 
the  magnificent  province  and  command  the  battles.  And 
from  the  city  of  Lisbon  straight  toward  the  West,  there  are 
on  the  said  map  twenty-six  spaces  and  in  each  one  of  them 
there  are  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  to  the  most  noble 
and  great  city  of  Quinsay :  this  city  is  one  hundred  miles 
in  circumference,  which  are  twenty-five  leagues,  and  in  it 
there  are  ten  marble  bridges.  The  name  of  this  city  in 
our  language  means  City  of  Heaven :  wonderful  things 
are  told  of  this  city  in  regard  to  the  magnificence  of  the 


7° 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


workmanship  and  of  the  revenues  (this  space  is  almost 
the  third  part  of  the  sphere).  It  is  in  the  province  of 
Mangi  near  the  city  of  Cathay,  in  which  the  King  resides 
most  of  the  time, — and  near  the  island  of  Antilia,  which 
you  call  the  Seven  Cities,  and  of  which  we  have  knowledge. 
There  are  ten  spaces  to  the  most  noble  island  of  Cipango, 
which  are  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  that  is  to  say 
six  hundred  and  twenty-five  leagues,  which  island  is  most 
fertile  in  gold  and  pearls  and  precious  stones.  Know  that 
the  temples  and  royal  houses  are  covered  with  pure  gold; 
therefore,  because  of  the  route  being  unknown,  all  these 
things  are  concealed;  and  they  can  very  surely  be  reached. 
Many  other  things  could  be  told,  but  as  I  have  already  told 
you  by  word  and  you  are  possessed  of  good  intelligence, 
I  know  that  nothing  remains  for  you  to  learn,  and  for  that 
reason  I  do  not  write  more  at  length.  And  this  is  to 
satisfy  your  demands  as  much  as  the  brevity  of  the  time 
and  my  occupations  have  permitted  me;  and  thus  I  remain 
most  ready  to  satisfy  and  serve  his  Highness  in  all  that  he 
commands  me.' 

"Done  in  the  city  of  Florence,  June  25,  1474." 

"To  Christopher  Columbus,  Paul,  the  physician,  greeting: 
"  I  received  your  letters  with  the  things  which  you  sent 
me,  and  with  them  received  a  great  favor.  I  perceive 
your  magnificent  and  great  desire  to  navigate  in  the  Eastern 
regions  by  those  of  the  West,  as  shown  by  the  map  which 
I  send  you,  which  will  be  better  shown  in  the  form  of  a 
round  sphere.  It  pleases  me  greatly  to  be  well  understood : 
and  that  the  said  voyage  not  only  is  possible,  but  that  it  is 
true  and  certain  and  of  inestimable  honor  and  profit,  and 
of  very  great  renown  among  the  Christians.  But  you  cannot 
well  know  it  perfectly  except  by  experience  and  conversa 
tion,  such  as  I  have  had  in  great  quantity,  and  good  and  true 
information  from  distinguished  men  of  great  knowledge,  who 
have  come  from  the  said  regions  here  to  the  Court  of  Rome, 
and  from  other  merchants  who  have  traded  during  a  long 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        71 

time  in  those  regions,  men  of  great  authority.  So  that  when 
the  said  voyage  is  made  it  will  be  to  powerful  kingdoms 
and  most  noble  cities  and  provinces,  very  rich  in  a  great 
abundance  of  all  kinds  of  things  very  necessary  to  us,  as 
well  as  in  all  kinds  of  spices  in  great  quantity,  and  jewels 
in  great  abundance.  The  voyage  will  also  be  made  to  the 
said  Kings  and  Princes,  who  are  very  desirous — more  than 
we  are — to  have  trade  and  intercourse  with  the  Christians 
of  these  regions,  because  a  great  many  of  them  are  Chris 
tians  :  and  also  to  have  speech  and  intercourse  with  the 
learned  and  intelligent  men  here,  as  much  about  religion,  as 
about  all  the  other  sciences,  because  of  the  great  renown  of 
the  empires  and  governments  of  these  regions,  among  them. 
By  reason  of  all  these  things  and  many  others  which  could 
be  told,  it  is  not  wonderful  to  me,  that  you, — who  have  great 
courage, — and  all  the  Portuguese  nation,  who  have  always 
been  generous  men  in  all  great  undertakings,  are  inflamed 
with  a  desire  to  undertake  the  said  voyage." 

These  letters  of  Toscanelli  did  not  put  within  the  reach 
of  Columbus  any  information  which  he  had  not  already 
made  his  own;  and  it  may  be  for  this  reason  that  he  him 
self  makes  no  after  mention  of  this  correspondence.  But 
it  strengthened  his  conviction  of  the  reasonableness  of  his 
own  opinions,  and  materially  aided  him  in  forming  the  reso 
lution  to  put  them  to  actual  test,  on  finding  that  he  was 
supported  by  so  eminent  an  authority  as  Toscanelli. 

In  those  days,  an  enterprise  like  that  which  Columbus 
contemplated  demanded  the  support  of  a  monarch,  not  only 
because  of  its  magnitude,  but  also  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
the  extension  of  commerce  was  so  jealously  watched  by 
sovereigns  that  a  private  individual  hardly  dared  to  seek 
new  lands  even  if  he  had  the  means.  By  marriage  and  long 
residence  in  Portugal,  Columbus  had  become  a  citizen  of 
that  country.  It  was  to  King  John  II.,  therefore,  that  his 
application  was  first  made.  Ferdinand  Columbus  tells  us 
that  although  this  king  "gave  ear  to  the  Admiral's  proposals, 


72 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


yet  he  hesitated  to  accept  them  on  account  of  the  great 
burden  and  expense  attending  the  exploration  and  conquest 
of  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  called  Guinea.  Little  suc 
cess  had  thus  far  rewarded  this  undertaking,  nor  had  he 
been  able  to  double  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  name, 
some  say,  was  given  it  instead  of  Agesingue,  its  proper 
designation,  because  that  was  the  farthest  they  hoped  to 
extend  their  explorations  and  conquests,  or,  as  others  will 
have  it,  because  this  cape  gave  them  the  expectation  of 
better  countries  and  navigation.  However,  the  king  had 
but  little  inclination  to  invest  any  more  money  in  discov 
eries;  and  if  he  gave  any  attention  to  the  Admiral,  it  was  in 
consequence  of  the  excellent  reasons  he  advanced  to  sup 
port  his  opinion,  which  arguments  so  tar  convinced  the 
king  that  he  had  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  accept  or  to 
reject  the  terms  which  the  Admiral  proposed.  For  the 
Admiral,  being  a  noble  and  magnanimous  man,  wished  to 
make  an  agreement  that  would  be  of  some  personal  benefit 
and  honor  to  himself,  so  that  he  would  leave  behind  him  a 
notable  reputation  and  a  respected  family,  such  as  became 
his  achievements  and  memory.  For  this  reason  the  kin^;, 
by  the  advice  of  one  Doctor  Cazadilla,  whom  he  greatly 
esteemed,  determined  to  send  a  caravel  secretly  to  attempt 
that  which  the  Admiral  had  proposed  to  him;  for  if  those 
countries  were  in  this  way  discovered,  he  thought  that  he 
would  not  be  obliged  to  bestow  any  great  reward  which 
might  be  demanded.  Having  quickly  equipped  a  caravel, 
he  sent  it  the  way  the  Admiral  had  proposed  to  go,  for  the 
vessel  was  carrying  supplies  to  the  islands  of  the  Cape  Verd 
group.  But  those  he  sent  had  not  the  knowledge,  perse 
verance,  and  energy  of  the  Admiral.  After  wandering  many 
days  on  the  sea,  they  turned  back  to  the  islands  of  Cape 
Verd,  laughing  at  the  undertaking,  and  saying  that  it  was 
unreasonable  to  think  there  should  be  any  land  in  those 
waters." 

This  caused  Columbus  to  determine  on  the  presentation 
of  his  scheme  to  the  court  of  Spain.      He  meditated  going 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        73 

out  in  search  of  new  territory,  and  this  could  not  be  taken 
possession  of  in  his  own  name,  or  in  that  of  any  private  indi 
vidual  who  might  be  able  and  inclined  to  provide  the  ships 
and  supplies.  These  lands  to  be  discovered  must  be  acquired 
by  some  European  government.  The  fact  that  he  had  in 
mind  this  necessity  seems  inconsistent  with  his  belief  that 
he  was  to  reach  the  wealthy  lands  of  Cipango  and  Cathay 
and  the  populous  and  civilized  realms  of  the  Khan.  Still 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  he  contemplated  the  possi 
bility  of  encountering  large  islands  on  the  way.  These  he 
might  take  possession  of  in  the  name  of  the  monarch  by 
whom  he  mio-ht  be  commissioned.  There  is  much  that  is 

O 

hazy  and  uncertain  about  Columbus's  movements  at  this 
time.  Some  historians  will  have  it  that  he  applied  to  the 
republic  of  his  native  Genoa,  also  to  the  court  of  France. 
There  is  also  a  story,  which  we  have  on  the  authority  of 
Ferdinand  Columbus,  that  he  sent  his  brother  Bartholomew 
to  seek  the  patronage  of  Henry  VII.  of  England  in  case  the 
court  of  Spain  should  fail  him.  According  to  this  account, 
Bartholomew  fell  into  the  hands  of  pirates  and  was  stripped 
of  all  he  possessed.  Owing  to  this  ill  fortune,  he  was 
obliged  to  support  himself  by  making  sea  charts,  in  which  art 
he  was  an  adept,  until  he  had  so  far  reinstated  his  cir 
cumstances  that  he  was  in  a  position  to  interview  the  king. 
Henry  VII.,  so  Ferdinand  will  have  us  believe,  willingly 
gave  his  attention  to  Bartholomew's  project  and  ordered 
Columbus  to  be  sent  for.  But  in  the  meantime  the  latter 
was  so  hopeful  of  success  in  Spain  that  he  did  not  think 
it  advisable  to  change  the  direction  of  his  quest.  All  this, 
however,  is  very  uncertain,  and  it  is  entirely  unlikely  that 
England  had  the  opportunity  of  acquiring  the  glory  at 
tached  to  the  sending  out  of  the  Discoverer  of  the  New 
World.  For  seven  tedious  years,  Columbus's  hopes  were 
alternately  encouraged  and  deferred.  At  times  he  seemed 
to  be  gaining  the  interest  of  the  influential  advisers  of  the 
sovereigns,  and  then  again  his  scheme  was  literally  laughed 
out  of  court.  But  with  the  tenacity  of  purpose,  the  patient 


74 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


courage  which  was  characteristic  of  the  man,  he  persevered 
in  a  belief,  which  nothing  could  destroy,  that  in  the  end  he 
would  be  enabled  to  accomplish  his  design.  Of  his  em 
ployments  during  these  years  of  waiting  we  have  little 
trustworthy  record.  There  is  enough,  however,  to  indicate 
that  at  times  he  was  exceedingly  poor.  Nevertheless,  to 
the  fact  that  during  this  time  of  trial  and  disappointment  he 
solaced  himself  with  an  amour  with  Beatriz  Enriquez  we 
owe  the  existence  of  his  son  Ferdinand  and  his  history. 
The  latter  relates  of  his  renowned  father  that  immediately 
on  repairing  to  Spain  "  he  went  at  once  to  the  Court  of  the 
Catholic  King,  which  was  then  at  Cordova,  where,  being 
affable  and  an  entertaining  talker,  he  made  friends  of  such 
persons  as  were  most  favorably  inclined  to  his  undertaking 
and  fitted  to  persuade  the  king  to  espouse  it.  Among  these 
was  Luis  de  Santangel,  an  Arragonian  gentleman,  Clerk  of 
the  allowances  in  the  King's  household,  a  man  of  great 
prudence  and  reputation.  As  the  undertaking  demanded  an 
examination  by  enlightened  men,  and  not  meaningless  words 
in  favor,  their  highnesses  entrusted  the  matter  to  the  Prior 
of  Prado,  afterward  Archbishop  of  Granada,  and  ordered 
him,  together  with  some  cosmographers,  to  make  a  thorough 
investigation  of  the  project  and  to  report  their  opinion  re 
specting  it.  But  there  was  only  a  small  number  of  cos 
mographers  at  that  time,  and  those  who  were  called  together 
were  not  so  enlightened  as  they  should  have  been,  nor 
would  the  Admiral  wholly  explain  his  plan,  for  fear  he 
might  be  served  as  he  had  been  in  Portugal  and  be  deprived 
of  his  reward.  For  this  reason  the  answers  they  gave  their 
highnesses  were  as  different  as  their  judgments  and  opinions. 
Some  said  that  inasmuch  as  no  information  concerning  those 
countries  had  been  obtained  by  the  great  number  of  expe 
rienced  sailors  living  since  the  Creation,  which  was  many 
thousand  years  ago,  it  was  not  likely  that  the  Admiral 
should  know  more  than  all  the  seamen  that  were  living  or 
that  had  lived  before  that  time.  Others,  who  were  more 
influenced  by  cosmographical  reasons,  said  the  world  was 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        75 

so  prodigiously  great  that  it  was  incredible  that  a  voyage  of 
three  years  would  carry  him  to  the  end  of  the  East,  where 
he  proposed  to  go,  and  to  substantiate  this  opinion  they 
brought  forward  the  statement  of  Seneca,  who,  in  one  of 
his  works,  by  way  of  argument,  asserts  that  many  wise  men 
disagreed  about  this  question,  whether  or  not  the  ocean  were 
boundless,  and  doubted  if  it  could  be  traversed;  and  if  it 
were  navigable,  whether  habitable  lands  would  be  found  on 
the  other  side  of  the  globe,  and  whether  they  could  be 
reached.  They  added  that  only  a  small  part  of  this  ter 
raqueous  globe  was  inhabited,  and  that  this  was  our  hemi 
sphere,  and  that  all  the  remainder  was  sea,  and  only  navigable 
near  the  coasts  and  rivers." 

In  Spain  at  that  time  nearly  all  high  offices  were  held 
by  churchmen;  and  churchmen  were  ever  inclined  to  dis 
countenance  amendments  to  generally  received  and  time- 
honored  opinion.  The  argument  contained  in  the  words 
"St.  Augustine  doubts  it"  was  strong  enough  to  throw  a 
most  serious  obstacle  in  Columbus's  way.  In  order  to 
illustrate  the  nature  of  the  opinion  which  had  come  down 
from  far  time,  and  which,  in  the  tenacity  of  its  hold  upon 
the  commonly  accepted  theories  concerning  the  earth,  for  a 
time  frustrated  the  arguments  of  Columbus  and  the  enlight 
ened  men  who  held  with  him,  we  will  quote  the  words  of 
the  sainted  Bishop  of  Hippo:  "But  as  to  the  fable  that 
there  are  antipodes — that  is  to  say,  men  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  earth,  where  the  sun  rises  when  it  sets  to  us — 
men  who  walk  with  their  feet  opposite  ours,  that  is  on  no 
ground  credible.  And,  indeed  it  is  not  affirmed  that  this 
has  been  learned  by  historical  knowledge,  but  by  scientific 
conjecture,  on  the  ground  that  the  earth  is  suspended  within 
the  concavity  of  the  sky,  and  that  it  has  as  much  room 
on  the  one  side  of  it  as  on  the  other;  hence  they  say  that 
the  part  which  is  beneath  must  be  inhabited.  But  they  do 
not  remark  that,  although  it  be  supposed  or  scientifically 
demonstrated  that  the  world  is  of  a  round  and  spherical 
form,  yet  it  does  not  follow  that  the  other  side  of  the  earth 


76 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


is  bare  of  water,  nor  even,  though  it  be  bare,  does  it  imme 
diately  follow  that  it  is  peopled.  For  Scripture,  which  proves 
the  truth  of  its  historical  statements  by  the  accomplishment 
of  its  prophecies,  gives  no  false  information;  and  it  is  too 
absurd  to  say  that  some  men  might  have  taken  ship  and 
traversed  the  whole  wide  ocean,  and  crossed  from  this  side  of 
the  world  to  the  other,  and  that  thus  even  the  inhabitants 
of  that  distant  region  are  descended  from  the  first  man." 

In  April,  1491,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were  encamped 
with  their  army  before  Granada,  where  the  Moors  were 
making  their  final  stand.  It  was  not  a  time  propitious 
for  enforcing  upon  their  attention  the  project  for  seeking 
problematical  land  beyond  unexplored  seas,  Nevertheless, 
Columbus  succeeded  in  inducing  them  to  appoint  another 
junta,  or  committee,  to  consider  his  plan.  This  he  gained 
through  the  interest  of  Cardinal  Gonzalez  de  Mendoza. 
But  the  finding  of  this  court  of  inquiry  was  also  against 
him.  We  now  see  him,  disappointed  and  poverty-stricken, 
making  his  way  on  foot  with  his  little  son  Diego  to  the 
convent  of  Rabida,  near  Palos  de  Moguer  in  Andalusia, 
with  what  definite  plans  for  the  future  it  is  impossible  for 
us  to  determine,  except  that  we  know  that  his  immediate 
purpose  was  to  seek  his  own  relatives  in  the  town  of 
Huelva.  Ferdinand  Columbus  says  that  his  father  was 
now  determined  to  apply  to  the  King  of  France,  to  whom 
he  had  already  written  concerning  the  project,  intending, 
if  he  were  not  admitted  to  an  audience  there,  to  go  to  Eng 
land  afterward  to  search  for  his  brother,  from  whom  he 
had  not  yet  received  any  intelligence.  In  this  dark  hour 
of  discouragement,  good  fortune  provided  that  he  should 
meet  Friar  Juan  Perez.  Enthusiast  that  he  was,  Colum 
bus  never  failed  to  take  advantage  of  an  opportunity  to 
enlist  believers  in  his  grand  scheme.  He  talked  with  Perez 
and  others,  among  whom  probably  was  Martin  Alonso 
Pinzon,  of  his  plan  for  making  discoveries.  He  told  how 
for  years  he  had  been  waiting  on  the  queen,  in  the  hope 
that  she  would  provide  him  with  the  ships  necessary  to  seek 


THE  DISCOVERER  AD  LOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        77 

the  western  shores  of  the  Atlantic.  Columbus  could  not 
have  fallen  in  with  a  man  better  able  to  further  his  interests 
than  was  Perez.  He  was  Isabella's  confessor,  and  thus  held 
a  position  in  which  he  could  directly  and  effectively  advise 
the  queen.  He  sent  a  letter,  and  after  fourteen  days  received 
a  reply  from  Isabella  directing  him  to  come  to  her  at  the  court 
which  was  at  Santa  Fe,  before  Granada.  Columbus  was  to 
wait  at  the  convent  in  the  assurance  that  he  also  would 
soon  hear  from  her.  The  result  was  that  Columbus  was 
commanded  to  repair  again  to  the  court,  the  queen  thought 
fully  sending  him  twenty  thousand  maravedies  in  florins,  to 
defray  his  immediate  expenses. 

The  day  was  won,  All  that  really  remained  was  the 
arranging  of  the  terms  on  which  Columbus  should  go  forth 
on  this  great  errand.  His  son  asserts  that  there  was  some 
difficulty  encountered  in  the  settlement  of  this  question. 
Columbus's  demands  were  too  haughty;  and  when  told 
that  they  could  not  be  conceded,  he  again  turned  on  his 
heel  and  left  the  Spanish  court.  But  Isabella  was  persuaded 
to  send  De  Santangel  to  bring  him  back;  and  all  he  asked 
for  was  granted,  the  queen  expressing  her  willingness  to 
pledge  her  jewels  to  fit  out  the  vessels,  if  necessary.  That 
his  demands  were  sufficiently  high  is  witnessed  by  the  fol 
lowing  document  setting  forth  the  privileges  and  rights 
which  it  was  agreed  Columbus  should  enjoy  as  a  reward  for 
his  undertaking: 


THE  CAPITULATION 

"The  things  supplicated  and  which  your  Highnesses 
give  and  declare  to  Christopher  Columbus  in  some  satisfac 
tion  for  what  he  has  discovered  in  the  oceans,  and  for  the 
voyage  which  now,  with  the  aid  of  God,  he  is  about  to  make 
therein,  in  the  service  of  your  Highnesses,  are  as  follows : 

"First,  that  your  Highnesses  as  Lords  that  are  of  the 
said  oceans,  make  from  this  time  the  said  Don  Christopher 


78  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Columbus  your  Admiral  in  all  those  islands  and  mainlands 
which  by  his  hand  and  industry  shall  be  discovered  or 
acquired  in  the  said  oceans,  during  his  life,  and  after  his 
death,  his  heirs  and  successors,  from  one  to  another  per 
petually,  with  all  the  preeminence  and  prerogatives  belong 
ing  to  the  said  office  and  according  as  Don  Alonso  Enriquez, 
your  High  Admiral  of  Castile,  and  the  other  predecessors 
in  the  said  office  held  it  in  their  districts.  It  so  pleases 
your  Highnesses.  Juan  de  Coloma. 

"Likewise,  that  your  Highnesses  make  the  said  Don 
Christopher  your  Viceroy  and  Governor  General  in  all  the 
said  islands  and  mainlands,  and  islands  which,  as  has  been 
said,  he  may  discover  or  acquire  in  the  said  seas ;  and  that 
for  the  government  of  each  one  and  of  any  one  of  them,  he 
may  make  selection  of  three  persons  for  each  office,  and 
that  your  Highnesses  may  choose  and  select  the  one  who 
shall  be  most  serviceable  to  you,  and  thus  the  lands  which 
our  Lord  shall  permit  him  to  discover  and  acquire  will  be 
better  governed,  in  the  service  of  your  Highnesses.  It  so 
pleases  their  Highnesses.  Juan  de  Coloma. 

"  Item,  that  all  and  whatever  merchandise,  whether  it  be 
pearls,  precious  stones,  gold,  silver,  spices,  and  other  things 
whatsoever,  and  merchandise  of  whatever  kind,  name,  and 
manner  it  may  be,  which  may  be  bought,  bartered,  discov 
ered,  acquired,  or  obtained  within  the  limits  of  the  said  Ad 
miralty,  your  Highnesses  grant  henceforth  to  the  said  Don 
Christopher,  and  will  that  he  may  have  and  take  for  himself, 
the  tenth  part  of  all  of  them,  deducting  all  the  expenses 
which  may  be  incurred  therein ;  so  that  of  what  shall  remain 
free  and  clear,  he  may  have  and  take  the  tenth  part  for 
himself,  and  do  with  it  as  he  wills,  the  other  nine  parts 
remaining  for  your  Highnesses.  It  so  pleases  their  High 
nesses.  Juan  de  Coloma. 

u  Likewise,  that  if  on  account  of  the  merchandise  that  he 
might  bring  from  the  said  islands  and  land,  which  as  afore 
said  he  shall  acquire  and  discover,  or  of  that  which  may 
be  taken  in  exchange  for  the  same  from  other  merchants 


THE  DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        y9 

here,  any  suit  should  arise  in  the  place  where  the  said  trade 
and  traffic  shall  be  held  and  conducted;  and  if  by  the 
preeminence  of  his  office  of  Admiral  it  may  belong  to  him 
to  know  of  such  suit,  it  may  please  your  Highnesses  that 
he  or  his  deputy,  and  no  other  judge,  may  take  cognizance 
of  the  said  suit,  and  thus  it  is  decreed  henceforth.  It  so 
pleases  their  Highnesses  if  it  belongs  to  the  said  office  of 
Admiral,  as  the  said  Admiral  Don  Alonso  Enriquez  held  it 
and  the  others,  his  predecessors  in  their  districts,  and  if  it  be 
just.  Juan  de  Coloma. 

"  Item,  that  in  all  the  vessels  which  may  be  equipped  for 
the  said  traffic  and  negotiations  each  time  and  whenever 
and  as  often  as  they  may  be  equipped,  the  said  Admiral 
Don  Christopher  Columbus  may,  if  he  wishes,  contribute 
and  pay  the  eighth  part  of  all  that  may  be  expended  in 
the  equipment.  And  also  that  he  may  have  and  take 
of  the  profit,  the  eighth  part  of  all  which  may  result  from 
such  equipment.  It  so  pleases  their  Highnesses.  Juan  de 
Coloma. 

"These  are  executed  and  despatched  with  the  responses 
of  your  Highnesses  at  the  end  of  each  article  in  the  town  of 
Santa  Fe  de  la  Vega  de  Granada,  on  the  seventeenth  day 
of  April  in  the  year  of  the  nativity  of  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-two.  I,  the 
King.  I,  the  Queen.  By  order  of  the  King  and  of  the 
Queen.  Juan  de  Coloma.  Registered  Calcena." 

Of  the  cost  of  equipment  Columbus  contributed  one- 
eighth,  or  five  hundred  thousand  maravedies.  It  is  impos 
sible  for  us  to  ascertain  where  he  obtained  this  amount,  his 
own  circumstances  being  notoriously  impoverished.  Some 
have  thought  that  the  Pinzons  aided  him  to  this  extent;  but 
it  is  more  probable  that  some  noble  courtier  was  willing  to 
invest  his  money  in  the  scheme  which,  though  so  hazardous, 
was  supported  by  the  good  will  and  the  finances  of  the 
sovereigns.  Concerning  the  amount  subscribed  by  their 
Catholic  majesties,  Navarrete  quotes  this  entry,  which  he 


8o  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

found  in  the  account  books  of  Garcia  Martinez  and  Pedro 
de  Montmayor: 

"The  said  Alonso  de  Las  Cabezas  gave  and  paid  by  an 
other  warrant  of  the  said  Archbishop  of  Granada,  made  on 
the  5th  of  May  in  the  year  1492,  to  Luis  de  Santangel, 
secretary  of  the  allowances  of  the  King,  our  Lord,  and 
through  him  to  Alonso  de  Angulo,  by  virtue  of  an  order 
which  he  exhibited  from  the  said  secretary  of  the  allow 
ances,  in  which  was  inserted  the  said  warrant,  two  hundred 
thousand  maravedies  on  account  of  four  hundred  thousand 
paid  to  Vasco  de  Quiroga,  which  the  said  archbishop  paid 
by  the  said  warrant  of  two  million  six  hundred  and  forty 
thousand  maravedies,  which  he  was  to  receive  in  this  man 
ner:  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  maravedies  to  pay 
to  D'Isag' Abraham  for  a  like  sum  which  he  loaned  to  their 
Highnesses  to  carry  on  the  war,  and  the  one  million  one 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  maravedies  remaining  to  pay  the 
said  secretary  of  the  allowances  on  account  of  a  like  sum 
which  he  loaned  to  pay  for  the  caravels  which  their  High 
nesses  commanded  to  go  as  a  fleet  to  the  Indies,  to  pay  to 
Christopher  Columbus  who  went  in  said  fleet." 

It  is  thus   shown  that  these  monarchs  were  obliged  to 

O 

borrow  the  small  sum,  amounting  to  about  four  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  in  our  money,  required  to  equip  this 
great  enterprise.  In  view  of  this  fact,  our  wonder  grows 
less  that  Columbus  was  so  long  in  convincing  them  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  undertaking. 

It  was  commanded  that  he  should  be  equipped  with  three 
caravels,  two  of  which  were  to  be  provided  by  the  town  of 
Palos,  whence  the  expedition  was  to  embark,  in  execution 
of  a  sentence  which  had  been  pronounced  upon  the  inhabit 
ants  of  that  place.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Pinzons, 
who  were  seafaring  men  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Palos,  were  very  helpful  to  Columbus  in  shipping  crews 
for  this  hazardous  expedition.  How  much  persuading  was 
needed  in  order  that  a  sufficient  number  of  men  might  be 


DISCOVERER  ADVOCATING  HIS  PROJECT        8 1 

obtained  is  indicated  by  the  following  warrant  issued  by 
the  sovereigns:  "And  by  these  presents  we  grant  security 
to  all  and  any  persons  who  shall  go  in  the  said  caravels 
with  the  said  Christopher  Columbus  on  the  said  voyage 
which  he  is  making  by  our  order  in  the  said  ocean  seas,  as 
has  been  expressed,  in  order  that  no  evil  or  damage  may  be 
done  them,  nor  any  disturbance  in  their  persons  or  goods; 
nor  in  anything  of  theirs  by  reason  of  any  crime  which 
they  may  have  done  or  committed  from  the  day  of  the 
date  of  this  our  letter,  and  during  the  time  that  they  shall 
go  and  shall  remain  yonder,  with  the  return  to  their  houses, 
and  two  months  afterward.  For  this  reason  we  command 
you  all,  and  each  of  you  in  your  place  and  jurisdiction,  not 
to  recognize  any  criminal  proceeding  relating  to  the  persons 
who  shall  go  with  the  said  Christopher  Columbus  in  the 
said  three  caravels  during  the  aforesaid  time." 

This  order  indicates  the  difficult  character  of  the  crews 
with  which  Columbus  was  obliged  to  sail.  Yet  even,  in 
view  of  the  tempting  inducements  thus  held  out,  so  hope 
less  and  dangerous  seemed  the  enterprise  which  he  had 
undertaken,  that  the  full  quota  of  men  was  with  difficulty 
obtained.  According  to  Las  Casas,  the  number  of  those  who 
manned  the  three  small  boats  was  ninety.  It  is  naturally 
a  source  of  wonder  to  us  that  a  voyage  which  in  those  days 
seemed  so  terrible  was  undertaken  in  vessels  so  small  and 
frail.  In  the  year  1892  these  diminutive  ships  were  repro 
duced  with  all  the  exactness  that  the  most  careful  research 
would  warrant,  and  were  exhibited  at  the  Columbian  Expo 
sition  held  in  Chicago.  The  Santa  Maria,  a  small  boat 
even  as  compared  with  vessels  of  the  time  of  Columbus,  was 
sixty-three  feet  over  all,  with  a  draught  of  ten  and  one-half 
feet,  and  was  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons  burden. 
The  Pinta  was  fifty  tons,  and  the  Nina  forty.  With  this 
little  fleet,  under  the  flag  of  Spain,  Christopher  Columbus 
sailed  from  the  town  of  Palos  on  August  3,  1492,  to  add 
an  empire  to  the  realm  of  Castile  and  a  continent  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER   IV 

JOURNAL  OF  THE  FIRST  DOTAGE 

THE    VOYAGE    TO    THE    WEST 

IT  is  our  belief  that  the  readers  of  this  volume  will  sup 
port  us  in  the  opinion  that  nothing  could  be  more  fitting 
than  that  the  account  of  the  most  momentous  voyage  ever 
undertaken  in  the  history  of  the  world  should  be  given  in 
the  famous  navigator's  own  words.  Fortunately  for  the 
students  of  history,  Columbus  himself  was  duly  impressed 
with  the  greatness  of  his  undertaking  and  the  immortal 
interest  which  would  accrue  to  it.  From  the  very  moment 
that  he  bade  farewell  to  the  sovereigns  who  supported  him 
in  his  project,  he  began  keeping  a  full  and  detailed  journal. 
In  this  he  noted,  at  the  close  of  every  day,  what  took  place 
aboard  his  ships  during  the  voyage,  the  distance  and  rate  of 
sailing  and  all  those  matters  which  properly  belong  to  a  log 
book,  the  attitude  of  his  crews,  the  floating  debris  by  which 
their  hopes  of  reaching  land  from  time  to  time  were  buoyed, 
his  own  reflections,  and  even  his  dreams.  After  landing, 
he  recorded  minute  observations  on  the  lands  and  peoples 
visited.  The  journal  was  continued  until  he  again  reached 
the  harbor  of  Palos  and  was  ready  triumphantly  to  report 
his  success.  This  holograph  journal  came  into  the  posses 
sion  of  Las  Casas,  who  inherited  the  most  important  of 
Columbus's  papers.  Unfortunately,  however,  Las  Casas 
did  not  deem  the  journal  worth  reproducing  in  its  entirety. 
He  published  an  abridged  copy,  from  which  he  eliminated  a 
great  deal  of  the  discoursive  material  written  by  the  admiral's 

83 


84  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

own  hand.  By  so  doing,  he  deprived  historians  of  matter 
which  now  would  be  regarded  of  inestimable  value.  There 
was  not  a  word  of  Columbus's  reflections,  however  irrele 
vant  they  may  have  been,  that  would  not  now  be  deemed 
priceless.  Las  Casas  later  wrote  a  history  of  western  dis 
covery  up  to  his  time.  In  this  he  reproduced  matter  from 
the  original  journal,  which  is  not  found  in  the  abridgment. 
These  two  sources  comprise  the  most  authoritative  material 
in  our  possession  regarding  the  great  voyage.  The  journal, 
however,  which  we  here  reproduce,  is  the  abridged  copy, 
the  holograph  having  long  since  disappeared.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  it  is  generally  written  in  the  third  person, 
though  in  almost  every  instance  where  important  details  are 
given  the  exact  words  of  Columbus  are  quotedo  We  have 
followed  the  copy  which  Martin  Fernandez  de  Navarrete 
published  in  1825. 

Turning  to  the  journal  itself,  it  will  be  noted  that  after 
the  brief  address  to  the  sovereigns,  in  which  Columbus  is 
careful  to  say  that  he  is  going  by  a  way  which  "  until  to-day 
we  do  not  know  certainly  that  anyone  had  gone,"  he  begins 
his  record  on  Friday,  August  3,  1492.  Columbus  did  not 
participate  in  that  superstition  common  among  sailors  that 
Friday  is  an  unlucky  day  on  which  to  begin  a  voyage.  In 
the  result  he  found  that  it  was  for  him  exactly  the  opposite. 
On  a  Friday  he  cleared  the  Bar  of  Saltes,  off  the  village  of 
Huelva;  on  Friday,  October  I2th,  he  first  sighted  land  in 
the  western  world;  on  Friday,  March  14,  1493,  ne  agam 
returned  to  Palos.  After  considerable  trouble,  owing  to  the 
accident  to  the  Pinta  which  resulted  from  the  treachery 
of  her  owners,  who  were  unwilling  that  their  vessel  should 
be  chartered  for  so  uncertain  a  mission,  the  admiral  left  the 
harbor  of  Gomera,  in  Madeira,  and  laid  his  course  for 
the  west.  It  was  with  a  great  deal  of  solicitude  that  he 
began  his  journey,  for  at  the  very  last  moment  he  learned 
that  there  were  three  caravels  sailing  in  those  waters  in 
search  of  him,  with  the  purpose  of  preventing  his  voyage. 
These  had  been  sent  out  by  the  King  of  Portugal,  who 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST  85 

regretted,  when  too  late,  that  he  had  lost  to  his  rivals  in 
Spain  an  opportunity  which  he  began  to  foresee  might  turn 
out  to  great  advantage.  The  caravels  which  he  despatched 
were  under  orders  to  lie  in  wait  for  Columbus  and  capture 
him,  either  at  his  setting  out  or  on  his  return.  But  by 
good  fortune  the  admiral  escaped  them. 

In  the  entry  of  Monday,  September  loth,  we  find  evi 
dence  that  Columbus  anticipated  the  troubles  which  would 
arise  from  the  fear  and  discouragement  of  his  crews.  In 
order  to  disarm  this  as  much  as  possible,  he  adopted  the 
expedient  of  falsifying  his  log  and  recording  each  day  a 
less  number  of  leagues  than  were  actually  sailed.  Thus, 
by  keeping  his  men  in  ignorance  of  the  distance  at  which 
they  really  were  from  their  home,  he  hoped  that  they  might 
not  so  keenly  dread  the  impossibility  of  getting  back.  In 
this  he  must  have  had  the  support  of  his  subordinate  com 
manders.  But  he  was  by  no  means  successful  in  prevent 
ing  their  dissatisfaction  with  the  voyage.  Las  Casas,  under 
the  date  of  September  24th,  says  that  so  great  was  the 
indignation  at  Columbus's  persistence  in  sailing  into  what 
his  men  feared  was  a  boundless  sea,  that  they  even  went 
so  far  as  to  talk  of  throwing  him  overboard  at  night,  and 
afterward  publish  that  his  loss  had  been  by  accident.  His 
iron  determination  could  not  be  overcome ;  nevertheless,  he 
united  great  prudence  with  his  firmness,  for  Las  Casas  also 
relates  how,  to  cheer  the  sailors,  he  "laughed  with  them 
while  he  was  weeping  at  heart."  However,  the  discon 
tent  with  which  he  had  to  deal  cannot  be  truly  said  to  have 
ever  amounted  to  mutiny.  Columbus  was  not  thwarted 
in  his  purposes,  in  no  sense  capitulated  to  the  demands 
of  his  men,  made  no  compromises,  but  resolutely  maintained 
his  course.  There  is  no  real  mutiny  where  a  commander 
is  able  to  effect  this. 

On  Friday,  October  I2th,  his  courage  was  rewarded  by 
the  sight  of  land.  What  was  the  exact  spot  which  he  then 
beheld?  He  called  the  island  Guanahani.  The  name  has 
disappeared.  The  exact  site  of  this  first  landfall  has  always 


86  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

been  and  always  will  be  the  subject  of  undecided  discus 
sion.  There  is  not  sufficient  detail  in  the  journal,  or  in 
Las  Casas's  history,  or  elsewhere,  on  which  can  be  based 
an  absolute  determination.  By  many  Guanahani  is  sup 
posed  to  be  San  Salvador,  or  what  is  also  known  as  Cat 
Island.  But  the  greater  consensus  of  opinion  among  modern 
investigators  accepts  Watling  Island  as  the  true  site  of  the 
landfall. 

We  will  now  allow  the  journal  to  tell  its  own  story. 

JOURNAL 

OF    THE 

FIRST  VOYAGE  OF   COLUMBUS 

This  is  the  first  voyage  and  the  routes  and  directions 
taken  by  the  Admiral  Don  Cristobal  Colon  when  he  dis 
covered  the  Indies,  summarized;  except  the  prologue  made 
for  the  Sovereigns,  which  is  given  word  for  word  and  com 
mences  in  this  manner. 

In  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Because,  O  most  Christian,  and  very  high,  very  excel 
lent,  and  puissant  Princes,  King  and  Queen  of  the  Spains 
and  of  the  islands  of  the  Sea,  our  Lords,  in  this  present  year 
of  1492,  after  your  Highnesses  had  given  an  end  to  the  war 
with  the  Moors  who  reigned  in  Europe,  and  had  finished  it 
in  the  very  great  city  of  Granada,  where  in  this  present  year, 
on  the  second  day  of  the  month  of  January,  by  force  of 
arms,  I.saw  the  royal  banners  of  your  Highnesses  placed  on 
the  towers  of  Alhambra,  which  is  the  fortress  of  that  city, 
and  I  saw  the  Moorish  King  come  forth  from  the  gates  of 
the  city  and  kiss  the  royal  hands  of  your  Highnesses,  and 
of  the  Prince  my  Lord,  and  presently  in  that  same  month, 
acting  on  the  information  that  I  had  given  to  your  High 
nesses  touching  the  lands  of  India,  and  respecting  a  Prince 
who  is  called  Gran  Can,  which  means  in  our  language 
King  of  Kings,  how  he  and  his  ancestors  had  sent  to  Rome 


VOYAGE  TO  rHE  WEST  87 

many  times  to  ask  for  learned  men  of  our  holy  faith  to 
teach  him,  and  how  the  Holy  Father  had  never  complied, 
insomuch  that  many  people  believing  in  idolatries  were 
lost  by  receiving  doctrine  of  perdition :  YOUR  HIGH 
NESSES,  as  Catholic  Christians  and  Princes  who  love  the 
holy  Christian  faith,  and  the  propagation  of  it,  and  who  are 
enemies  to  the  sect  of  Mahoma  and  to  all  idolatries  and 
heresies,  resolved  to  send  me,  Cristobal  Colon,  to  the  said 
parts  of  India  to  see  the  said  princes,  and  the  cities  and 
lands,  and  their  disposition,  with  a  view  that  they  might  be 
converted  to  our  holy  faith;  and  ordered  that  I  should  not 
go  by  land  to  the  eastward,  as  had  been  customary,  but  that 
I  should  go  by  way  of  the  west,  whither,  up  to  this  day,  we 
do  not  know  for  certain  that  anyone  has  gone. 

Thus,  after  having  turned  out  all  the  Jews  from  all  your 
kingdoms  and  lordships,  in  the  same  month  of  January, 
your  Highnesses  gave  orders  to  me  that  with  a  sufficient 
fleet  I  should  go  to  the  said  parts  of  India,  and  for  this  they 
made  great  concessions  to  me,  and  ennobled  me,  so  that 
henceforward  I  should  be  called  Don,  and  should  be  Chief 
Admiral  of  the  Ocean  Sea,  perpetual  Viceroy  and  Governor 
of  all  the  islands  and  continents  that  I  should  discover  and 
gain,  and  that  I  might  hereafter  discover  and  gain  in  the 
Ocean  Sea,  and  that  my  eldest  son  should  succeed,  and  so 
on  from  generation  to  generation  for  ever. 

I  left  the  city  of  Granada  on  the  I2th  day  of  May,  in 
the  same  year  of  1492,  being  Saturday,  and  came  to  the 
town  of  Palos,  which  is  a  seaport;  where  I  equipped  three 
vessels  well  suited  for  such  service ;  and  departed  from  that 
port,  well  supplied  with  provisions  and  with  many  sailors, 
on  the  3rd  day  of  August  of  the  same  year,  being  Friday, 
half  an  hour  before  sunrise,  taking  the  route  to  the  islands 
of  Canaria,  belonging  to  your  Highnesses,  which  are  in  the 
said  Ocean  Sea,  that  I  might  thence  take  my  departure  for 
navigating  until  I  should  arrive  at  the  Indies,  and  give  the 
letters  of  your  Highnesses  to  those  princes,  so  as  to  comply 
with  my  orders.  As  part  of  my  duty  I  thought  it  well  to 


88  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

write  an  account  of  all  the  voyage  very  punctually,  noting 
from  day  to  day  all  that  I  should  do  and  see,  and  that  should 
happen,  as  will  be  seen  further  on.  Also,  Lords  Princes,  I 
resolved  to  describe  each  night  what  passed  in  the  day,  and 
to  note  each  day  how  I  navigated  at  night.  I  propose  to 
construct  a  new  chart  for  navigating,  on  which  I  shall  de 
lineate  all  the  sea  and  lands  of  the  Ocean  in  their  proper 
positions  under  their  bearings;  and  further,  I  propose  to 
prepare  a  book,  and  to  put  down  all  as  it  were  in  a  picture, 
by  latitude  from  the  equator,  and  western  longitude.  Above 
all,  I  shall  have  accomplished  much,  for  I  shall  forget  sleep, 
and  shall  work  at  the  business  of  navigation,  that  so  the  ser 
vice  may  be  performed;  all  which  will  entail  great  labor. 

Friday,  3rd  of  August. 

We  departed  on  Friday,  the  3rd  of  August,  in  the  year 
1492,  from  the  bar  of  Saltes,  at  eight  o'clock,  and  proceeded 
with  a  strong  sea  breeze  until  sunset,  towards  the  S.,  for 
sixty  miles,  equal  to  fifteen  leagues ;  afterwards  S.  W.  and 
W.  S.  W.,  which  was  the  course  for  the  Canaries. 

Saturday,  4th  of  August. 
They  steered  S.  W.  %  S. 

Sunday,  5th  of  August. 

They  continued  their  course  day  and  night  more  than 
forty  leagues. 

Monday,  6th  of  August. 

The  rudder  of  the  caravel  Pinta  became  unshipped,  and 
Martin  Alonso  Pinzon,  who  was  in  command,  believed  or 
suspected  that  it  was  by  contrivance  of  Gomes  Rascon 
and  Cristobal  Quintero,  to  whom  the  caravel  belonged,  for 
they  dreaded  to  go  on  that  voyage.  The  Admiral  says 
that,  before  they  sailed,  these  men  had  been  displaying  a 
certain  backwardness,  so  to  speak.  The  Admiral  was 
much  disturbed  at  not  being  able  to  help  the  said  caravel 


rorAGE  ro  THE  WEST  89 

without  danger,  and  he  says  that  he  was  eased  of  some 
anxiety  when  he  reflected  that  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  was 
a  man  of  energy  and  ingenuity.  They  made,  during  the 
day  and  night,  twenty-nine  leagues. 

Tuesday,  jth  of  August. 

The  rudder  of  the  P'mta  was  shipped  and  secured,  and 
they  proceeded  on  a  course  for  the  island  of  Lanzarote,  one 
of  the  Canaries.  They  made,  during  the  day  and  night, 
twenty-five  leagues. 

Wednesday,  8th  of  August. 

Opinions  respecting  their  position  varied  among  the 
pilots  of  the  three  caravels ;  but  that  of  the  Admiral  proved 
to  be  nearer  the  truth.  He  wished  to  go  to  Gran  Canaria,  to 
leave  the  caravel  Pinta,  because  she  was  disabled  by  the 
faulty  hanging  of  her  rudder,  and  was  making  water.  He 
intended  to  obtain  another  there  if  one  could  be  found. 
They  could  not  reach  the  place  that  day. 

Thursday,  9th  of  August. 

The  Admiral  was  not  able  to  reach  Gomera  until  the 
night  of  Sunday,  while  Martin  Alonso  remained  on  that 
coast  of  Gran  Canaria  by  order  of  the  Admiral,  because  his 
vessel  could  not  be  navigated.  Afterwards  the  Admiral  took 
her  to  Canaria,  and  they  repaired  the  Pinta  very  thoroughly 
through  the  pains  and  labor  of  the  Admiral,  of  Martin 
Alonso,  and  of  the  rest.  Finally  they  came  to  Gomera. 
They  saw  a  great  fire  issue  from  the  mountain  of  the  island 
of  Tenerife,  which  is  of  great  height.  They  rigged  the 
P'mta  with  square  sails,  for  she  was  lateen  rigged ;  and  the 
Admiral  reached  Gomera  on  Sunday,  the  2nd  of  September, 
with  the  Pint  a  repaired. 

The  Admiral  says  that  many  honorable  Spanish  gentle 
men  who  were  at  Gomera  with  Dona  Ines  Peraza,  mother 
of  Guillen  Peraza  [who  was  afterwards  the  first  Count  of 
Gomera] ,  and  who  were  natives  of  the  island  of  Hierro, 


QO  DISCOFERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

declared  that  every  year  they  saw  land  to  the  west  of  the 
Canaries;  and  others,  natives  of  Gomera,  affirmed  the  same 
on  oath.  The  Admiral  here  says  that  he  remembers,  when 
in  Portugal  in  the  year  1484,  a  man  came  to  the  King  from 
the  island  of  Madeira,  to  beg  for  a  caravel  to  go  to  this 
land  that  was  seen,  who  swore  that  it  could  be  seen  every 
year,  and  always  in  the  same  way.  He  also  says  that  he 
recollects  the  same  thing  being  affirmed  in  the  islands  of 
the  Azores;  and  all  these  lands  were  described  as  in  the 
same  direction,  and  as  being  like  each  other,  and  of  the  same 
size.  Having  taken  in  water,  wood,  and  meat,  and  all  else 
that  the  men  had  who  were  left  at  Gomera  by  the  Ad 
miral  when  he  went  to  the  island  of  Canaria  to  repair  the 
caravel  Pinta,  he  finally  made  sail  from  the  said  island  of 
Gomera,  with  his  three  caravels,  on  Thursday,  the  6th  day 
of  September. 

Thursday,  6th  of  September. 

He  departed  on  that  day  from  the  port  of  Gomera  in  the 
morning,  and  shaped  a  course  to  go  on  his  voyage;  having 
received  tidings  from  a  caravel  that  came  from  the  island 
of  Hierro  that  three  Portuguese  caravels  were  off  that 
island  with  the  object  of  taking  him.  [This  must  have 
been  the  result  of  the  King's  annoyance  that  Colon  should 
have  gone  to  Castille.]  There  was  a  calm  all  that  day  and 
night,  and  in  the  morning  he  found  himself  between  Gomera 
and  Tenerife. 

Friday,  ;th  of  September. 

The  calm  continued  all  Friday  and  Saturday,  until  the 
third  hour  of  the  night. 

Saturday,  8th  of  September. 

At  the  third  hour  of  Saturday  night  it  began  to  blow  from 
the  N.  E.,  and  the  Admiral  shaped  a  course  to  the  W.  He 
took  in  much  sea  over  the  bows,  which  retarded  progress, 
and  nine  leagues  were  made  in  that  day  and  night. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 


91 


Sunday,  gth  of  September. 

This  day  the  Admiral  made  nineteen  leagues,  and  he  ar 
ranged  to  reckon  less  than  the  number  run,  because,  if  the 
voyage  was  of  long  duration,  the  people  would  not  be  so 
terrified  and  disheartened.  In  the  night  he  made  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  miles,  at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour, 
which  are  thirty  leagues.  The  sailors  steered  badly,  letting 
the  ship  fall  off  to  N.  E.,  and  even  more,  respecting  which 
the  Admiral  complained  many  times. 

Monday,  loth  of  September. 

In  this  day  and  night  he  made  sixty  leagues,  at  the  rate 
of  ten  miles  an  hour,  which  are  two  and  one-half  leagues; 
but  he  only  counted  forty-eight  leagues,  that  the  people 
might  not  be  alarmed  if  the  voyage  should  be  long. 

Tuesday,  nth  of  September. 

That  day  they  sailed  on  their  course,  which  was  W.,  and 
made  twenty  leagues  and  more/  They  saw  a  large  piece  of 
the  mast  of  a  ship  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons,  but 
were  unable  to  get  it.  In  the  night  they  made  nearly  twenty 
leagues,  but  only  counted  sixteen,  for  the  reason  already 
given. 

Wednesday,  I2th  of  September. 

That  day,  steering  their  course,  they  made  thirty-three 
leagues  during  the  day  and  night,  counting  less. 

Thursday,  I3th  of  September. 

That  day  and  night,  steering  their  course,  which  was 
W.,  they  made  thirty-three  leagues,  counting  three  or  four 
less.  The  currents  were  against  them.  On  this  day,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  night,  the  needles  turned  a  half 
point  to  N.  W.,  and  in  the  morning  they  turned  somewhat 
more  N.  W. 

Friday,  I4th  of  September. 

That  day  they  navigated,  on  their  westerly  course,  day 
and  night,  twenty  leagues,  counting  a  little  less.  Here  those 


92  DISCOFERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  the  caravel  Nina  reported  that  they  had  seen  a  tern  and  a 
boatswain-bird,  and  these  birds  never  go  more  than  twenty- 
five  leagues  from  the  land. 

Saturday,  1 5th  of  September. 

That  day  and  night  they  made  twenty-seven  leagues 
and  rather  more  on  their  W.  course ;  and  in  the  early  part 
of  the  night  there  fell  from  heaven  into  the  sea  a  marvel 
lous  flame  of  fire,  at  a  distance  of  about  four  or  five  leagues 
from  them. 

Sunday,  i6th  of  September. 

That  day  and  night  they  steered  their  course  W.,  making 
thirty-nine  leagues,  but  the  Admiral  only  counted  thirty-six. 
There  were  some  clouds  and  small  rain.  The  Admiral  says 
that  on  that  day,  and  ever  afterwards,  they  met  with  very 
temperate  breezes,  so  that  there  was  great  pleasure  in  en 
joying  the  mornings,  nothing  being  wanted  but  the  song  of 
nightingales.  He  says  that  the  weather  was  like  April  in 
Andalusia.  Here  they  began  to  see  many  tufts  of  grass 
which  were  very  green,  and  appeared  to  have  been  quite 
recently  torn  from  the  land.  From  this  they  judged  that 
they  were  near  some  island,  but  not  the  mainland,  accord 
ing  to  the  Admiral,  "because,"  as  he  says,  "I  make  the 
mainland  to  be  more  distant." 

Monday,  I  yth  of  September. 

They  proceeded  on  their  W.  course,  and  made  over  fifty 
leagues  in  the  day  and  night,  but  the  Admiral  only  counted 
forty-seven.  They  were  aided  by  the  current.  They  saw 
much  very  fine  grass  and  herbs  from  rocks,  which  came 
from  the  W.  They,  therefore,  considered  that  they  were 
near  land.  The  pilots  observed  the  N.  point,  and  found 
that  the  needles  turned  a  full  point  to  the  W.  of  N.  So  the 
mariners  were  alarmed  and  dejected,  and  did  not  give  their 
reason.  But  the  Admiral  knew,  and  ordered  that  the  N. 
should  be  again  observed  at  dawn.  They  then  found  that 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 


93 


the  needles  were  true.  The  cause  was  that  the  star  makes 
the  movement,  and  not  the  needles.  At  dawn,  on  that 
Monday,  they  saw  much  more  weed  appearing,  like  herbs 
from  rivers,  in  which  they  found  a  live  crab,  which  the 
Admiral  kept.  He  says  that  these  crabs  are  certain  signs 
of  land.  The  sea  water  was  found  to  be  less  salt  than  it 
had  been  since  leaving  the  Canaries.  The  breezes  were 
always  soft.  Everyone  was  pleased,  and  the  best  sailers 
went  ahead  to  sight  the  first  land.  They  saw  many  tunny- 
fish,  and  the  crew  of  the  Nina  killed  one.  The  Admiral 
here  says  that  these  signs  of  land  came  from  the  west,  "in 
which  direction  I  trust  in  that  high  God  in  whose  hands  are 
all  victories  that  very  soon  we  shall  sight  land."  In  that 
morning  he  says  that  a  white  bird  was  seen  which  has  not  the 
habit  of  sleeping  on  the  sea,  called  rabo  de  junco  [boatswain- 
bird]. 

Tuesday,  i8th  of  September. 

This  day  and  night  they  made  over  fifty-five  leagues,  the 
Admiral  only  counting  forty-eight.  In  all  these  days  the  sea 
was  very  smooth,  like  the  river  at  Seville.  This  day  Martin 
Alonso,  with  the  Pinta,  which  was  a  fast  sailer,  did  not  wait, 
for  he  said  to  the  Admiral,  from  his  caravel,  that  he  had  seen 
a  great  multitude  of  birds  flying  westward,  that  he  hoped  to 
see  land  that  night,  and  that  he  therefore  pressed  onward. 
A  great  cloud  appeared  in  the  N.,  which  is  a  sign  of  the 
proximity  of  land. 

Wednesday,  igth  of  September. 

The  Admiral  continued  on  his  course,  and  during  the  day 
and  night  he  made  but  twenty-five  leagues  because  it  was 
calm.  He  counted  twenty-two.  This  day,  at  ten  o'clock, 
a  booby  came  to  the  ship,  and  in  the  afternoon  another 
arrived,  these  birds  not  generally  going  more  than  twenty 
leagues  from  the  land.  There  was  also  some  drizzling 
rain  without  wind,  which  is  a  sure  sign  of  land.  The 
Admiral  did  not  wish  to  cause  delay  by  beating  to  windward 


94  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

to  ascertain  whether  land  was  near,  but  he  considered  it 
certain  that  there  were  islands  both  to  the  N.  and  S.  of 
his  position  [as  indeed  there  were,  and  he  was  passing 
through  the  middle  of  them] .  For  his  desire  was  to  press 
onwards  to  the  Indies,  the  weather  being  fine.  For  on 
his  return,  God  willing,  he  could  see  all.  These  are  his 
own  words.  Here  the  pilots  found  their  positions.  He 
of  the  Nina  made  the  Canaries  four  hundred  and  forty 
leagues  distant,  the  Pinta  four  hundred  and  twenty.  The 
pilot  of  the  Admiral's  ship  made  the  distance  exactly  four 
hundred  leagues. 

Thursday,  2Oth  of  September. 

This  day  the  course  was  W.  by  N.,  and  as  her  head  was 
all  round  the  compass,  owing  to  the  calm  that  prevailed,  the 
ships  made  only  seven  or  eight  leagues.  Two  boobies  came 
to  the  ship,  and  afterwards  another,  a  sign  of  the  proximity 
of  land.  They  saw  much  weed,  although  none  was  seen  on 
the  previous  day.  They  caught  a  bird  with  the  hand,  which 
was  like  a  tern.  But  it  was  a  river  bird,  not  a  sea  bird,  the 
feet  being  like  those  of  a  gull.  At  dawn  two  or  three  land 
birds  came  singing  to  the  ship,  and  they  disappeared  before 
sunset.  Afterwards  a  booby  came  from  W.  N.  W.,  and 
flew  to  the  S.  W.,  which  was  a  sign  that  it  left  land  in  the 
W.  N.  W. ;  for  these  birds  sleep  on  shore,  and  go  to  sea 
in  the  mornings  in  search  of  food,  not  extending  their  flight 
more  than  twenty  leagues  from  the  land. 

Friday,  2ist  of  September. 

Most  of  the  day  it  was  calm,  and  later  there  was  a  little 
wind.  During  the  day  and  night  they  did  not  make  good 
more  than  thirteen  leagues.  At  dawn  they  saw  so  much 
weed  that  the  sea  appeared  to  be  covered  with  it,  and  it 
came  from  the  W.  A  booby  was  seen.  The  sea  was 
very  smooth,  like  a  river,  and  the  air  the  best  in  the  world. 
They  saw  a  whale,  which  is  a  sign  that  they  were  near 
land,  because  they  always  keep  near. the  shore. 


VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 


95 


Saturday,  22nd  of  September. 

They  shaped  a  course  W.  N.  W.  more  or  less,  her  head 
turning  from  one  to  the  other  point,  and  made  thirty  leagues. 
Scarcely  any  weed  was  seen.  They  saw  some  sandpipers 
and  another  bird.  Here  the  Admiral  says  :  "  This  contrary 
wind  was  very  necessary  for  me,  because  my  people  were 
much  excited  at  the  thought  that  in  these  seas  no  wind  ever 
blew  in  the  direction  of  Spain."  Part  of  the  day  there  was 
no  weed,  and  later  it  was  very  thick. 

Sunday,  23rd  of  September. 

They  shaped  a  course  N.  W.,  and  at  times  more  north 
erly  ;  occasionally  they  were  on  their  course,  which  was  W., 
and  they  made  about  twenty-two  leagues.  They  saw  a 
dove  and  a  booby,  another  river  bird,  and  some  white  birds. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  weed,  and  they  found  crabs  in  it. 
The  sea  being  smooth  and  calm,  the  crew  began  to  mur 
mur,  saying  that  here  there  was  no  great  sea,  and  that  the 
wind  would  never  blow  so  that  they  could  return  to  Spain. 
Afterwards  the  sea  rose  very  much,  without  wind,  which 
astonished  them.  The  Admiral  here  says:  "Thus  the  high 
sea  was  very  necessary  to  me,  such  as  had  not  appeared  but  in 
the  time  of  the  Jews  when  they  went  out  of  Egypt  and  mur 
mured  against  Moses,  who  delivered  them  out  of  captivity." 

Monday,  24th  of  September. 

The  Admiral  went  on  his  W.  course  all  day  and  night, 
making  fourteen  leagues.  He  counted  twelve.  A  booby 
came  to  the  ship,  and  many  sandpipers. 

Tuesday,  25th  of  September. 

This  day  began  with  a  calm,  and  afterwards  there  was 
wind.  They  were  on  their  W.  course  until  night.  The 
Admiral  conversed  with  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon,  captain  of 
the  caravel  Pinta,  respecting  a  chart  which  he  had  sent 
to  the  caravel  three  days  before,  on  which,  as  it  would  ap 
pear,  the  Admiral  had  certain  islands  depicted  in  that  sea. 


0,6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Martin  Alonso  said  that  the  ships  were  in  the  position  on 
which  the  islands  were  placed,  and  the  Admiral  replied  that 
so  it  appeared  to  him;  but  it  might  be  that  they  had  not 
fallen  in  with  them,  owing  to  the  currents  which  had  always 
set  the  ships  to  the  N.  E.,  and  that  they  had  not  made  so 
much  as  the  pilots  reported.  The  Admiral  then  asked  for 
the  chart  to  be  returned,  and  it  was  sent  back  on  a  line. 
The  Admiral  then  began  to  plot  the  position  on  it,  with 
the  pilot  and  mariners.  At  sunset  Martin  Alonso  went  up 
on  the  poop  of  his  ship,  and  with  much  joy  called  to  the 
Admiral,  claiming  the  reward  as  he  had  sighted  land.  When 
the  Admiral  heard  this  positively  declared,  he  says  that  he 
gave  thanks  to  the  Lord  on  his  knees,  while  Martin  Alonso 
said  the  Gloria  in  excelsis  with  his  people.  The  Admiral's 
crew  did  the  same.  Those  of  the  Nina  all  went  up  on  the 
mast  and  into  the  rigging,  and  declared  that  it  was  land.  It 
so  seemed  to  the  Admiral,  and  that  it  was  distant  twenty- 
five  leagues.  They  all  continued  to  declare  it  was  land 
until  night.  The  Admiral  ordered  the  course  to  be  altered 
from  W.  to  S.  W.,  in  which  direction  the  land  had  ap 
peared.  That  day  they  made  four  leagues  on  a  W.  course, 
and  seventeen  S.  W.  during  the  night,  in  all  twenty-one; 
but  the  people  were  told  that  thirteen  was  the  distance  made 
good:  for  it  was  always  feigned  to  them  that  the  distances 
were  less,  so  that  the  voyage  might  not  appear  so  long. 
Thus  two  reckonings  were  kept  on  this  voyage,  the  shorter 
being  feigned,  and  the  longer  being  the  true  one.  The  sea 
was  very  smooth,  so  that  many  sailors  bathed  alongside. 
They  saw  many  dorados  and  other  fish. 

Wednesday,  26th  of  September. 

The  Admiral  continued  on  the  W.  course  until  after 
noon.  Then  he  altered  course  to  S.  W.,  until  he  made  out 
that  what  had  been  said  to  be  land  was  only  clouds.  Day 
and  night  they  made  thirty-one  leagues,  counting  twenty- 
four  for  the  people.  The  sea  was  like  a  river,  the  air 
pleasant  and  very  mild. 


Copyright,  IQOJ, 


Track  of  Columbus' s  movements  during  his  first  voyage  after  the  landfall 
gi-~ven  in  the  original  log,  by  Captain  G.   f^.  Fox 


reorge  Barrie  &  Sons. 


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1  he  started  on  the  return  voyage.       Prepared  in  accordance  with  the  data 
s-  N.,  former  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 


97 


Thursday,  2Jth  of  September. 

The  course  W.,  and  distance  made  good  during  day 
and  night  twenty-four  leagues,  twenty  being  counted  for 
the  people.  Many  dorados  came.  One  was  killed.  A 
boatswain-bird  came. 

Friday,  28th  of  September. 

The  course  was  W.,  and  the  distance,  owing  to  calms, 
only  fourteen  leagues  in  day  and  night,  thirteen  leagues 
being  counted.  They  met  with  little  weed;  but  caught 
two  dorados,  and  more  in  the  other  ships. 

Saturday,  2Qth  of  September. 

The  course  was  W.,  and  they  made  twenty-four  leagues, 
counting  twenty-one  for  the  people.  Owing  to  calms,  the 
distance  made  good  during  day  and  night  was  not  much. 
They  saw  a  bird  called  rabiforcado  [man-o'-war  bird] ,  which 
makes  the  boobies  vomit  what  they  have  swallowed,  and  eats 
it,  maintaining  itself  on  nothing  else.  It  is  a  sea  bird,  but 
does  not  sleep  on  the  sea,  and  does  not  go  more  than  twenty 
leagues  from  the  land.  There  are  many  of  them  at  the  Cape 
Verd  Islands.  Afterwards  they  saw  two  boobies.  The 
air  was  very  mild  and  agreeable,  and  the  Admiral  says  that 
nothing  was  wanting  but  to  hear  the  nightingale.  The  sea 
smooth  as  a  river.  Later,  three  boobies  and  a  man-o'-war 
bird  were  seen  three  times.  There  was  much  weed. 

Sunday,  3Oth  of  September. 

The  western  course  was  steered,  and  during  the  day  and 
night,  owing  to  calms,  only  fourteen  leagues  were  made, 
eleven  being  counted.  Four  boatswain-birds  came  to  the 
ship,  which  is  a  great  sign  of  land,  for  so  many  birds  of 
this  kind  together  is  a  sign  that  they  are  not  straying  or 
lost.  They  also  twice  saw  four  boobies.  There  was  much 
weed.  Note  that  the  stars  which  are  called  las  guardias  [the 
Pointers],  when  night  comes  on,  are  near  the  western  point, 
and  when  dawn  breaks  they  are  near  the  N.  E.  point;  so 


98  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

that,  during  the  whole  night,  they  do  not  appear  to  move 
more  than  three  lines  or  nine  hours,  and  this  on  each  night. 
The  Admiral  says  this,  and  also  that  at  nightfall  the  needles 
vary  a  point  westerly,  while  at  dawn  they  agree  exactly  with 
the  star.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  North  Star  has 
a  movement  like  the  other  stars,  while  the  needles  always 
point  correctly. 

Monday,  1st  of  October. 

Course  W.,  and  twenty-five  leagues  made  good,  counted 
for  the  crew  as  twenty  leagues.  There  was  a  heavy  shower 
of  rain.  At  dawn  the  Admiral's  pilot  made  the  distance 
from  Hierro  five  hundred  and  seventy-eight  leagues  to  the 
west.  The  reduced  reckoning  which  the  Admiral  showed 
to  the  crew  made  it  five  hundred  and  eighty-four  leagues; 
but  the  truth  which  the  Admiral  observed  and  kept  secret 
was  seven  hundred  and  seven. 

Tuesday,  2nd  of  October. 

Course  W.,  and  during  the  day  and  night  thirty-nine 
leagues  were  made  good,  counted  for  the  crew  as  thirty. 
The  sea  always  smooth.  Many  thanks  be  given  to  God, 
says  the  Admiral,  that  the  weed  is  coming  from  E.  to  W., 
contrary  to  its  usual  course.  Many  fish  were  seen,  and  one 
was  killed.  A  white  bird  was  also  seen  that  appeared  to 
be  a  gull. 

Wednesday,  3rd  of  October. 

They  navigated  on  the  usual  course,  and  made  good 
forty-seven  leagues,  counted  as  forty.  Sandpipers  appeared, 
and  much  weed,  some  of  it  very  old  and  some  quite  fresh  and 
having  fruit.  They  saw  no  birds.  The  Admiral,  therefore, 
thought  that  they  had  left  the  islands  behind  them  which 
were  depicted  on  the  charts.  The  Admiral  here  says  that  he 
did  not  wish  to  keep  the  ships  beating  about  during  the  last 
week,  and  in  the  last  few  days  when  there  were  so  many 
signs  of  land,  although  he  had  information  of  certain  islands 


VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 


99 


in  this  region.  For  he  wished  to  avoid  delay,  his  object 
being  to  reach  the  Indies.  He  says  that  to  delay  would 
not  be  wise. 

Thursday,  4th  of  October. 

Course  W.,  and  sixty-three  leagues  made  good  during 
the  day  and  night,  counted  as  forty-six.  More  than  fort) 
sandpipers  came  to  the  ship  in  a  flock,  and  two  boobies, 
and  a  ship's  boy  hit  one  with  a  stone.  There  also  came  a 
man-o'-war  bird  and  a  white  bird  like  a  gull. 

Friday,  5th  of  October. 

The  Admiral  steered  his  course,  going  eleven  miles  an 
hour,  and  during  the  day  and  night  they  made  good  fifty- 
seven  leagues,  as  the  wind  increased  somewhat  during  the 
night:  forty-five  were  counted.  The  sea  was  smooth  and 
quiet.  "To  God,"  he  says,  "be  many  thanks  given,  the  air 
being  pleasant  and  temperate,  with  no  weed,  many  sand 
pipers,  and  flying-fish  coming  on  the  deck  in  numbers." 

Saturday,  6th  of  October. 

The  Admiral  continued  his  W.  course,  and  during  day 
and  night  they  made  good  forty  leagues,  thirty-three  being 
counted.  This  night  Martin  Alonso  said  that  it  would  be 
well  to  steer  S.  of  W.,  and  it  appeared  to  the  Admiral  that 
Martin  Alonso  did  not  say  this  with  respect  to  the  island 
of  Cipango.  He  saw  that  if  an  error  was  made  the  land 
would  not  be  reached  so  quickly,  and  that  consequently 
it  would  be  better  to  go  at  once  to  the  continent  and  after 
wards  to  the  islands. 

Sunday,  Jth  of  October. 

The  W.  course  was  continued  ;  for  two  hours  they  went 
at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour,  and  afterwards  eight 
miles  an  hour.  They  made  good  twenty-three  leagues, 
counting  eighteen  for  the  people.  This  day,  at  sunrise,  the 
caravel  Nina,  which  went  ahead,  being  the  best  sailer,  and 


100  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

pushed  forward  as  much  as  possible  to  sight  the  land  first,  so 
as  to  enjoy  the  reward  which  the  Sovereigns  had  promised  to 
whoever  should  see  it  first,  hoisted  a  flag  at  the  mast  head 
and  fired  a  gun,  as  a  signal  that  she  had  sighted  land,  for 
such  was  the  Admiral's  order.  He  had  also  ordered  that, 
at  sunrise  and  sunset,  all  the  ships  should  join  him;  because 
those  two  times  are  most  proper  for  seeing  the  greatest  dis 
tance,  the  haze  clearing  away.  No  land  was  seen  during 
the  afternoon,  as  reported  by  the  caravel  Nina,  and  they 
passed  a  great  number  of  birds  flying  from  N.  to  S.  W. 
This  gave  rise  to  the  belief  that  the  birds  were  either  going 
to  sleep  on  land,  or  were  flying  from  the  winter  which 
might  be  supposed  to  be  near  in  the  land  whence  they  were 
coming.  The  Admiral  was  aware  that  most  of  the  islands 
held  by  the  Portuguese  were  discovered  by  the  flight  of  birds. 
For  this  reason  he  resolved  to  give  up  the  W.  course,  and 
to  shape  a  course  W.  S.  W.  for  the  two  following  days. 
He  began  the  new  course  one  hour  before  sunset.  They 
made  good,  during  the  night,  about  five  leagues,  and  twenty- 
three  in  the  day,  altogether  twenty-eight  leagues. 

Monday,  8th  of  October. 

The  course  was  W.  S.  W.,  and  eleven  and  one-half  or 
twelve  leagues  were  made  good  in  the  day  and  night;  and 
at  times  it  appears  that  they  went  at  the  rate  of  fifteen 
miles  an  hour  during  the  night  [if  the  handwriting  is  not 
deceptive] .  The  sea  was  like  the  river  at  Seville.  "  Thanks 
be  to  God,"  says  the  Admiral, "  the  air  is  very  soft,  like  the 
April  at  Seville;  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  be  here,  so  balmy 
are  the  breezes."  The  weed  seemed  to  be  very  fresh.  There 
were  many  land  birds,  and  they  took  one  that  was  flying  to 
the  S.  W.  Terns,  ducks,  and  a  booby  were  also  seen. 

Tuesday,  Qth  of  October. 

The  course  was  S.  W.,  and  they  made  five  leagues.  The 
wind  then  changed,  and  the  Admiral  steered  W.  by  N.  four 
leagues.  Altogether,  in  day  and  night,  they  made  eleven 


VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST  IQI 

leagues  by  day  and  twenty  and  one-half  leagues  by  night; 
counted  as  seventeen  leagues  altogether.  Throughout  the 
night  birds  were  heard  passing. 

Wednesday,  loth  of  October. 

The  course  was  W.  S.  W.,  and  they  went  at  the  rate  of 
ten  miles  an  hour,  occasionally  twelve  miles,  and  some 
times  seven.  During  the  day  and  night  they  made  fifty- 
nine  leagues,  counted  as  no  more  than  forty-four.  Here 
the  people  could  endure  no  longer.  They  complained  of  the 
length  of  the  voyage.  But  the  Admiral  cheered  them  up 
in  the  best  way  he  could,  giving  them  good  hopes  of  the 
advantages  they  might  gain  from  it.  He  added  that,  how 
ever  much  they  might  complain,  he  had  to  go  to  the  Indies, 
and  that  he  would  go  on  until  he  found  them,  with  the  help 
of  our  Lord. 

Thursday,  nth  of  October. 

The  course  was  W.  S.  W.,  and  there  was  more  sea  than 
there  had  been  during  the  whole  of  the  voyage.  They  saw 
sandpipers,  and  a  green  reed  near  the  ship.  Those  of  the 
caravel  Pinta  saw  a  cane  and  a  pole,  and  they  took  up 
another  small  pole  which  appeared  to  have  been  worked 
with  iron;  also  another  bit  of  cane,  a  land  plant,  and  a 
small  board.  The  crew  of  the  caravel  Nina  also  saw 
signs  of  land,  and  a  small  branch  covered  with  berries. 
Everyone  breathed  afresh  and  rejoiced  at  these  signs.  The 
run  until  sunset  was  twenty-six  leagues. 

After  sunset  the  Admiral  returned  to  his  original  W. 
course,  and  they  went  along  at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an 
hour.  Up  to  two  hours  after  midnight  they  had  gone  ninety 
miles,  equal  to  twenty-two  and  one-half  leagues.  As  the 
caravel  Pinta  was  a  better  sailer,  and  went  ahead  of  the  Ad 
miral,  she  found  the  land,  and  made  the  signals  ordered  by 
the  Admiral.  The  land  was  first  seen  by  a  sailor  named 
Rodrigo  de  Triana.  But  the  Admiral,  at  ten  in  the  previous 
night,  being  on  the  castle  of  the  poop,  saw  a  light,  though 


102  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORATION 

it  was  so  uncertain  that  he  could  not  affirm  it  was  land. 
He  called  Pedro  Gutierrez,  a  gentleman  of  the  King's  bed 
chamber,  and  said  that  there  seemed  to  be  a  light,  and  that 
he  should  look  at  it.  He  did  so,  and  saw  it.  The  Admiral 
said  the  same  to  Rodrigo  Sanchez  of  Segovia,  whom  the 
King  and  Queen  had  sent  with  the  fleet  as  inspector,  but 
he  could  see  nothing,  because  he  was  not  in  a  place  whence 
anything  could  be  seen.  After  the  Admiral  had  spoken  he 
saw  the  light  once  or  twice,  and  it  was  like  a  wax  candle 
rising  and  falling.  It  seemed  to  few  to  be  an  indication  of 
land;  but  the  Admiral  made  certain  that  land  was  close. 
When  they  said  the  Salve,  which  all  the  sailors  were  accus 
tomed  to  sing  in  their  way,  the  Admiral  asked  and  admon 
ished  the  men  to  keep  a  good  lookout  on  the  forecastle,  and 
to  watch  well  for  land ;  and  to  him  who  should  first  cry  out 
that  he  saw  land,  he  would  give  a  silk  doublet,  besides  the 
other  rewards  promised  by  the  Sovereigns,  which  were  ten 
thousand  maravedis  to  him  who  should  first  see  it.  At  two 
hours  after  midnight  the  land  was  sighted  at  a  distance  of 
two  leagues.  They  shortened  sail,  and  lay  by  under  the 
mainsail  without  the  bonnets.  The  vessels  were  hove  to, 
waiting  for  daylight;  and  on  Friday  they  arrived  at  a  small 
island  of  the  Lucayos,  called,  in  the  language  of  the  Indians, 
Guanahani.  Presently  they  saw  naked  people.  The  Ad 
miral  went  on  shore  in  the  armed  boat,  and  Martin  Alonso 
Pinzon,  and  Vicente  Yanez,  his  brother,  who  was  captain  of 
the  Nina.  The  Admiral  took  the  royal  standard,  and  the 
captains  went  with  two  banners  of  the  green  cross,  which 
the  Admiral  took  in  all  the  ships  as  a  sign,  with  an  F  and 
a  Y  and  a  crown  over  each  letter,  one  on  one  side  of  the 
cross  and  the  other  on  the  other.  Having  landed,  they  saw 
trees  very  green,  and  much  water,  and  fruits  of  diverse  kinds. 
The  Admiral  called  to  the  two  captains,  and  to  the  others 
who  leaped  on  shore,  and  to  Rodrigo  Escovedo,  secretary 
of  the  whole  fleet,  and  to  Rodrigo  Sanchez  of  Segovia,  and 
said  that  they  should  bear  faithful  testimony  that  he,  in 
presence  of  all,  had  taken,  as  he  now  took,  possession  of  the 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  THE  WEST 


103 


said  island  for  the  King  and  for  the  Queen,  his  Lords  making 
the  declarations  that  are  required,  as  is  more  largely  set  forth 
in  the  testimonies  which  were  then  made  in  writing. 

Presently  many  inhabitants  of  the  island  assembled. 
What  follows  is  in  the  actual  words  of  the  Admiral  in  his 
book  of  the  first  navigation  and  discovery  of  the  Indies. 
"I,"  he  says,  "that  we  might  form  great  friendship,  for  I 
knew  that  they  were  a  people  who  could  be  more  easily 
freed  and  converted  to  our  holy  faith  by  love  than  by  force, 
gave  to  some  of  them  red  caps,  and  glass  beads  to  put  round 
their  necks,  and  many  other  things  of  little  value,  which 
gave  them  great  pleasure,  and  made  them  so  much  our 
friends  that  it  was  a  marvel  to  see.  They  afterwards  came 
to  the  ship's  boats  where  we  were,  swimming  and  bringing 
us  parrots,  cotton  threads  in  skeins,  darts,  and  many  other 
things;  and  we  exchanged  them  for  other  things  that  we 
gave  them,  such  as  glass  beads  and  small  bells.  In  fine, 
they  took  all,  and  gave  what  they  had  with  good  will.  It 
appeared  to  me  to  be  a  race  of  people  very  poor  in  every 
thing.  They  go  as  naked  as  when  their  mothers  bore  them, 
and  so  do  the  women,  although  I  did  not  see  more  than  one 
young  girl.  All  I  saw  were  youths,  none  more  'than  thirty 
years  of  age.  They  are  very  well  made,  with  very  hand 
some  bodies,  and  very  good  countenances.  Their  hair  is 
short  and  coarse,  almost  like  the  hairs  of  a  horse's  tail. 
They  wear  the  hair  brought  down  to  the  eyebrows,  except 
a  few  locks  behind,  which  they  wear  long  and  never  cut. 
They  paint  themselves  black,  and  they  are  the  color  of 
the  Canarians,  neither  black  nor  white.  Some  paint  them 
selves  white,  others  red,  and  others  of  what  color  they 
find.  Some  paint  their  faces,  others  the  whole  body,  some 
only  round  the  eyes,  others  only  on  the  nose.  They  neither 
carry  nor  know  anything  of  arms,  for  I  showed  them 
swords,  and  they  took  them  by  the  blade  and  cut  them 
selves  through  ignorance.  They  have  no  iron,  their  darts 
being  wands  without  iron,  some  of  them  having  a  fish's 
tooth  at  the  end,  and  others  being  pointed  in  various  ways. 


104  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

They  are  all  of  fair  stature  and  size,  with  good  faces,  and 
well  made.  I  saw  some  with  marks  of  wounds  on  their 
bodies,  and  I  made  signs  to  ask  what  it  was,  and  they  gave 
me  to  understand  that  people  from  other  adjacent  islands 
came  with  the  intention  of  seizing  them,  and  that  they 
defended  themselves.  I  believed,  and  still  believe,  that 
they  come  here  from  the  mainland  to  take  them  prisoners. 
They  should  be  good  servants  and  intelligent,  for  I  observed 
that  they  quickly  took  in  what  was  said  to  them,  and  I 
believe  that  they  would  easily  be  made  Christians,  as  it 
appeared  to  me  that  they  had  no  religion.  I,  our  Lord  being 
pleased,  will  take  hence,  at  the  time  of  my  departure,  six 
natives  for  your  Highnesses,  that  they  may  learn  to  speak. 
I  saw  no  beast  of  any  kind  except  parrots,  on  this  island." 
The  above  is  in  the  words  of  the  Admiral. 


CHAPTER  V 
JOURNAL  OF  THE  FIRST  VOYAGE— (Continued} 

EXPLORATION 

IT  appears  marvellous  that  Columbus,  after  he  had  seen 
the  nature  of  the  country  he  had  discovered,  the  condition 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  their  savage  manner  of  life,  should 
have  continued  to  imagine  that  he  was  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  rich  and  splendid  island  of  Cipango  and  near  the 
dominions  of  the  Great  Khan.  But  as  Las  Casas  remarks 
in  his  Historic!  de  las  Indias :  "  It  is  a  wonderful  thing  how 
when  man  desires  anything  greatly  and  has  firmly  seated  it 
in  his  imagination,  everything  he  may  see  and  hear  at  each 
step  he  judges  it  without  reflection  to  be  in  his  favor."  In 
the  entry  under  date  of  November  ist,  the  admiral  attests 
his  belief  that  he  was  before  Zayto  and  Guinsay,  one  hun 
dred  leagues  a  little  more  or  a  little  less.  These  two  cities 
were  imagined  by  him  to  be  the  capitals  of  Cathay.  Indeed, 
he  went  so  far  as  to  despatch  two  men,  a  sailor  and  a 
Christian  Jew,  with  the  letter  of  the  sovereigns  to  the  Great 
Khan.  When  these  men  returned,  after  an  expedition  of 
twelve  leagues  into  the  interior  of  the  island  of  Cuba,  it 
may  well  be  supposed  that  Columbus  would  have  been  con 
vinced  that  he  was  in  error  regarding  the  location  of  his  dis 
coveries.  But  so  deeply  rooted  was  his  conviction  that  he 
had  reached  the  outskirts  of  Asia,  that,  in  spite  of  all  he  saw 
during  this  and  his  later  voyages,  he  died  in  the  same  belief. 

The  admiral  never  gave  his  prime  consideration  to  scien 
tific  investigation.  We  notice,  under  date  of  October  I3th, 

105 


1 06  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORATION 

that  on  the  very  inception  of  his  discoveries,  as  soon  as  he 
reached  land,  he  began  his  ardent  quest  for  gold.  The 
small  pieces  of  the  precious  metal  which  he  saw  suspended 
from  the  noses  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  had  a  more  imme 
diate  interest  for  him  than  the  configuration  of  the  coun 
try.  It  has  been  a  subject  of  somewhat  heated  discussion 
and  diverse  opinion  as  to  whether  or  not  this  arose  from 
Columbus's  own  cupidity.  When  we  notice  the  unremit 
ting  eagerness  with  which  he  pressed  on  the  natives,  wherever 
he  encountered  them,  the  question  as  to  the  whereabouts 
of  gold,  it  is  not  easy  to  avoid  an  opinion  prejudicial  to  his 
motive.  Nevertheless,  Las  Casas  endeavors  earnestly  to 
acquit  the  admiral  of  this  unworthy  imputation.  In  this 
the  bishop  is  an  eminently  trustworthy  witness,  for  no  one 
saw  so  clearly  and  deplored  so  deeply  as  did  he  the  terrible 
effects  of  the  avarice  of  the  Spaniards  on  the  unfortunate 
natives.  According  to  him,  Columbus  felt  under  the  abso 
lute  necessity  of  justifying  his  expedition  and  securing  the 
continued  support  of  the  sovereigns  of  Spain  by  making 
the  voyage  profitable.  It  was  not  an  interest  in  geography 
or  any  other  science  that  had  induced  them  at  some  expense 
to  send  him  out.  They  had  been  made  participators  in  his 
belief  that  the  way  to  the  wealth  and  profitable  commerce 
of  India  and  Cathay  lay  across  the  western  sea.  New 
charts  and  an  extended  knowledge  of  the  surface  of  the 
earth  would  never  be  to  them  sufficient  repayment  for  their 
expense.  Only  wealth-increasing  dominion  would  satisfy 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  Moreover,  Columbus  was  never 
allowed  to  forget  the  fact  that  at  the  court  he  had  enemies 
who  were  doing  their  utmost  to  induce  the  sovereigns  to 
doubt  his  theories,  belittle  his  accomplishment,  and  with 
draw  their  support.  Says  Las  Casas :  "  For  this  cause  the 
admiral  never  thought,  never  watched,  never  labored  in  any 
thing  else  than  trying  to  bring  about  the  receipt  of  profits 
and  revenues  for  the  Sovereigns,  fearing  always  that  such  a 
great  enterprise  would  be  prevented,  because  he  saw  that 
if  the  Sovereigns  became  tired  of  making  expenditures,  or 


EXPLORATION 


I07 


became  displeased,  they  would  not  carry  it  to  an  end." 
This  is  a  very  plausible  explanation  of  Columbus's  zealous 
quest  for  gold  and  precious  stones.  But  over  against  this 
we  have  at  least  the  fact — and  it  can  hardly  be  made  to 
appear  creditable  to  the  admiral — that,  although  Rodrigo 
de  Triana  was  the  first  actually  to  see  land,  and  could  justly 
claim  the  promised  annuity  of  ten  thousand  maravedies,  Co 
lumbus  appropriated  the  reward  on  the  ground  of  his  having 
seen  a  light  on  the  night  of  October  nth.  De  Triana  was 
so  impressed  by  the  injustice  done  himself,  that  he  went  to 
Africa  and  became  a  Mohammedan. 

When  on  the  island  of  Cuba,  the  discoverer  narrowly 
missed  the  object  of  his  search,  through  a  misapprehension 
of  the  signs  by  which  alone  he  could  hold  intercourse  with 
the  natives.  They  indicated  to  him  the  direction  in  which 
lay  a  region  they  called  "  Cubanacan."  By  this  they  meant 
the  middle  part  of  the  island;  but  Columbus  supposed  it 
to  refer  to  a  great  city,  which  he  could  not  find.  In  this 
Cubanacan,  Las  Casas  tells  us,  were  very  rich  gold  mines. 
But  through  this  misapprehension  they  were  reserved  for  later 
adventurers.  During  this  first  voyage,  however,  Columbus 
did  become  acquainted  with  two  commodities  now  held  in 
universal  approbation  and  more  distinctively  connected  with 
the  New  World  than  is  gold.  He  found  a  land  "  full  of 
4niames,'  which  are  like  carrots  and  taste  like  chestnuts." 
These,  though  difficult  to  identify  as  such  by  this  descrip 
tion,  Las  Casas  declares  to  be  u  patatas."  It  was  also  on 
the  island  of  Cuba  that  the  discoverers  first  saw  "  men  and 
women  with  a  half-burned  weed  in  their  hands,  and  herbs 
to  smoke,  which  they  are  in  the  habit  of  doing."  In  his 
Historia,  Las  Casas  inserts  a  note  on  this  entry  from  the 
journal,  in  which  he  says  "the  men  with  the  half-burned 
weed  in  their  hands  and  certain  herbs  in  order  to  take  their 
smokes,  which  are  some  dry  herbs  put  in  a  certain  leaf,  also 
dry,  in  the  manner  of  a  musket  made  of  paper,  like  those 
the  boys  make  on  the  day  of  the  Passover  of  the  Holy 
Ghost;  and  having  lighted  one  part  of  it,  by  the  other  they 


108  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

suck,  absorb  or  receive  that  smoke  inside  with  the  breath, 
by  which  they  become  benumbed  and  almost  drunk,  and  so 
it  is  said  that  they  do  not  feel  fatigue." 

The  people  of  the  New  World  excited  keen  interest  in 
the  mind  of  Columbus.  His  descriptions  of  them  are  full 
and  accurate.  A  particularly  careful  account  of  the  natives 
is  entered  in  his  journal  for 

Saturday,  I3th  of  October. 

"As  soon  as  dawn  broke,  many  of  these  people  came  to 
the  beach,  all  youths,  as  I  have  said,  and  all  of  good  stature, 
a  very  handsome  people.  Their  hair  is  not  curly,  but  loose 
and  coarse,  like  horse  hair.  In  all  the  forehead  is  broad, 
more  so  than  in  any  other  people  I  have  hitherto  seen. 
Their  eyes  are  very  beautiful  and  not  small,  and  themselves 
far  from  black,  but  the  color  of  the  Canarians.  Nor  should 
anything  else  be  expected,  as  this  island  is  in  a  line  E.  and 
W.  from  the  island  of  Hierro  in  the  Canaries.  Their  legs 
are  very  straight,  all  in  one  line,  and  no  belly,  but  very  well 
formed.  They  came  to  the  ship  in  small  canoes,  made  out 
of  the  trunk  of  a  tree  like  a  long  boat,  and  all  of  one  piece, 
and  wonderfully  worked,  considering  the  country.  They 
are  large,  some  of  them  holding  forty  to  forty-five  men, 
others  smaller,  and  some  only  large  enough  to  hold  one  man. 
They  are  propelled  with  a  paddle  like  a  baker's  shovel,  and 
go  at  a  marvellous  rate.  If  the  canoe  capsizes  they  all 
promptly  begin  to  swim,  and  to  bale  it  out  with  calabashes 
that  they  take  with  them.  They  brought  skeins  of  cotton 
thread,  parrots,  darts,  and  other  small  things  which  it  would 
be  tedious  to  recount,  and  they  give  all  in  exchange  for 
anything  that  may  be  given  to  them.  I  was  attentive,  and 
took  trouble  to  ascertain  if  there  was  gold.  I  saw  that 
some  of  them  had  a  small  piece  fastened  in  a  hole  they 
have  in  the  nose,  and  by  signs  I  was  able  to  make  out  that 
to  the  S.,  or  going  from  the  island  to  the  S.,  there  was 
a  king  who  had  great  cups  full,  and  who  possessed  a  great 
quantity.  I  tried  to  get  them  to  go  there,  but  afterwards 


EXPLORATION 


109 


I  saw  that  they  had  no  inclination.  I  resolved  to  wait  until 
to-morrow  in  the  afternoon  and  then  to  depart,  shaping 
a  course  to  the  S.  W.,  for,  according  to  what  many  of 
them  told  me,  there  was  land  to  the  S.,  to  the  S.  W.,  and 
N.  W.,  and  that  the  natives  from  the  N.  W.  often  came  to 
attack  them,  and  went  on  to  the  S.  W.  in  search  of  gold 
and  precious  stones. 

"This  island  is  rather  large  and  very  flat,  with  bright 
green  trees,  much  water,  and  a  very  large  lake  in  the  centre, 
without  any  mountain,  and  the  whole  land  so  green  that  it 
is  a  pleasure  to  look  on  it.  The  people  are  very  docile, 
and  4or  the  longing  to  possess  our  things,  and  not  having 
anything  to  give  in  return,  they  take  what  they  can  get, 
and  presently  swim  away.  Still,  they  give  away  all  they 
have  got,  for  whatever  may  be  given  to  them,  down  to 
broken  bits  of  crockery  and  glass.  I  saw  one  give  sixteen 
skeins  of  cotton  for  three  ceotis  of  Portugal,  equal  to  one 
blanca  of  Spain,  the  skeins  being  as  much  as  an  arroba  of 
cotton  thread.  I  shall  keep  it,  and  shall  allow  no  one  to 
take  it,  preserving  it  all  for  your  Highnesses,  for  it  may  be 
obtained  in  abundance.  It  is  grown  in  this  island,  though 
the  short  time  did  not  admit  of  my  ascertaining  this  for  a 
certainty.  Here  also  is  found  the  gold  they  wear  fastened 
in  their  noses.  But,  in  order  not  to  lose  time,  I  intend  to 
go  and  see  if  I  can  find  the  island  of  Cipango.  Now,  as 
it  is  night,  all  the  natives  have  gone  on  shore  with  their 
canoes." 

Sunday,  I4th  of  October. 

"At  dawn  I  ordered  the  ship's  boat  and  the  boats  of  the 
caravels  to  be  got  ready,  and  I  went  along  the  coast  of 
the  island  to  the  N.  N.  E.,  to  see  the  other  side,  which  was 
on  the  other  side  to  the  E.,  and  also  to  see  the  villages. 
Presently  I  saw  two  or  three,  and  the  people  all  came  to 
the  shore,  calling  out  and  giving  thanks  to  God.  Some  of 
them  brought  us  water,  others  came  with  food,  and  when 
they  saw  that  I  did  not  want  to  land,  they  got  into  the  sea, 


HO  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

and  came  swimming  to  us.  We  understood  that  they  asked 
us  if  we  had  come  from  heaven.  One  old  man  came  into 
the  boat,  and  others  cried  out,  in  loud  voices,  to  all  the 
men  and  women,  to  come  and  see  the  men  who  had  come 
from  heaven,  and  to  bring  them  to  eat  and  drink.  Many 
came,  including  women,  each  bringing  something,  giving 
thanks  to  God,  throwing  themselves  on  the  ground  and 
shouting  to  us  to  come  on  shore.  But  I  was  afraid  to  land, 
seeing  an  extensive  reef  of  rocks  which  surrounded  the 
island,  with  deep  water  between  it  and  the  shore  forming  a 
port  large  enough  for  as  many  ships  as  there  are  in  Chris 
tendom,  but  with  a  very  narrow  entrance.  It  is  true  that 
within  this  reef  there  are  some  sunken  rocks,  but  the  sea 
has  no  more  motion  than  the  water  in  a  well.  In  order  to 
see  all  this  I  went  this  morning,  that  I  might  be  able  to  give 
a  full  account  to  your  Highnesses,  and  also  where  a  fortress 
might  be  established.  I  saw  a  piece  of  land  which  appeared 
like  an  island,  although  it  is  not  one,  and  on  it  there  were 
six  houses.  It  might  be  converted  into  an  island  in  two 
days,  though  I  do  not  see  that  it  would  be  necessary,  for 
these  people  are  very  simple  as  regards  the  use  of  arms,  as 
your  Highnesses  will  see  from  the  seven  that  I  caused  to 
be  taken,  to  bring  home  and  learn  our  language  and  return ; 
unless  your  Highnesses  should  order  them  all  to  be  brought 
to  Castille,  or  to  be  kept  as  captives  on  the  same  island; 
for  with  fifty  men  they  can  all  be  subjugated  and  made  to 
do  what  is  required  of  them.  Close  to  the  above  peninsula 
there  are  gardens  of  the  most  beautiful  trees  I  ever  saw, 
and  with  leaves  as  green  as  those  of  Castille  in  the  months 
of  April  and  May,  and  much  water.  I  examined  all  that 
port,  and  afterwards  I  returned  to  the  ship  and  made  sail. 
I  saw  so  many  islands  that  I  hardly  knew  how  to  determine 
to  which  I  should  go  first.  Those  natives  I  had  with  me 
said,  by  signs,  that  there  were  so  many  that  they  could  not 
be  numbered,  and  they  gave  the  names  of  more  than  a 
hundred.  At  last  I  looked  out  for  the  largest,  and  re 
solved  to  shape  a  course  for  it,  and  so  I  did.  It  will  be 


EXPLORATION  1 1 1 

distant  five  leagues  from  this  of  San  Salvador,  and  the 
others  some  more,  some  less.  All  are  very  flat,  and  all 
are  inhabited.  The  natives  make  war  on  each  other, 
although  these  are  very  simple-minded  and  handsomely- 
formed  people." 

Monday,  I5th  of  October. 

"  I  had  lain  by  during  the  night,  with  the  fear  of  reaching 
the  land  to  anchor  before  daylight,  not  knowing  whether  the 
coast  was  clear  of  rocks,  and  at  dawn  I  made  sail.  As  the 
island  was  more  than  five  leagues  distant  and  nearer  seven, 
and  the  tide  checked  my  way,  it  was  noon  when  we  arrived 
at  the  said  island.  I  found  that  side  facing  towards  the 
island  of  San  Salvador  trended  N.  and  S.  with  a  length 
of  five  leagues,  and  the  other  which  I  followed  ran  E.  and 
W.  for  more  than  ten  leagues.  As  from  this  island  I  saw 
another  larger  one  to  the  W.,  I  clued  up  the  sails,  after 
having  run  all  that  day  until  night,  otherwise  I  could  not 
have  reached  the  western  cape.  I  gave  the  name  of  Santa 
Maria  de  la  Conception  to  the  island,  and  almost  as  the  sun 
set  I  anchored  near  the  said  cape  to  ascertain  if  it  contained 
gold.  For  the  people  I  had  taken  from  the  island  of  San 
Salvador  told  me  that  here  they  wore  very  large  rings  of  gold 
on  their  arms  and  legs.  I  really  believed  that  all  they  said 
was  nonsense,  invented  that  they  might  escape.  My  de 
sire  was  not  to  pass  any  island  without  taking  possession,  so 
that,  one  having  been  taken,  the  same  may  be  said  of  all. 
I  anchored,  and  remained  until  to-day,  Tuesday,  when  I 
went  to  the  shore  with  the  boats  armed,  and  landed.  The 
people,  who  were  numerous,  went  naked,  and  were  like 
those  of  the  other  island  of  San  Salvador.  They  let  us  go 
over  the  island,  and  gave  us  what  we  required.  As  the 
wind  changed  to  the  S.  E.,  I  did  not  like  to  stay,  and  re 
turned  to  the  ship.  A  large  canoe  was  alongside  the  Nina, 
and  one  of  the  men  of  the  island  of  San  Salvador,  who  was 
on  board,  jumped  into  the  sea  and  got  into  the  canoe.  In 
the  middle  of  the  night  before,  another  swam  away  behind 


H2  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  canoe,  which  fled,  for  there  never  was  boat  that  could 
have  overtaken  her,  seeing  that  in  speed  they  have  a  great 
advantage.  So  they  reached  the  land  and  left  the  canoe. 
Some  of  my  people  went  on  shore  in  chase  of  them,  but 
they  all  fled  like  fowls,  and  the  canoe  they  had  left  was 
brought  alongside  the  caravel  Nina,  whither,  from  another 
direction,  another  small  canoe  came,  with  a  man  who  wished 
to  barter  with  skeins  of  cotton.  Some  sailors  jumped  into 
the  sea,  because  he  would  not  come  on  board  the  caravel, 
and  seized  him.  I  \vas  on  the  poop  of  my  ship,  and  saw 
everything.  So  I  sent  for  the  man,  gave  him  a  red  cap, 
some  small  beads  of  green  glass,  which  I  put  on  his  arms, 
and  small  bells,  which  I  put  in  his  ears,  and  ordered  his 
canoe,  which  was  also  on  board,  to  be  returned  to  him.  I 
sent  him  on  shore,  and  presently  made  sail  to  go  to  the 
other  large  island  which  was  in ;  sight  to  the  westward.  I 
also  ordered  the  other  large  canoe,  which  the  caravel  Nina 
was  towing  astern,  to  be  cast  adrift ;  and  I  soon  saw  that  it 
reached  the  land  at  the  same  time  as  the  man  to  whom  I  had 
given  the  above  things.  I  had  not  wished  to  take  the  skein 
of  cotton  that  he  offered  me.  All  the  others  came  round 
him  and  seemed  astonished,  for  it  appeared  clear  to  them 
that  we  were  good  people.  The  other  man  who  had  fled 
might  do  us  some  harm,  because  we  had  carried  him  off, 
and  for  that  reason  I  ordered  this  man  to  be  set  free  and 
gave  him  the  above  things,  that  he  might  think  well  of  us, 
otherwise,  when  your  Highnesses  again  send  an  expedition, 
they  might  not  be  friendly.  All  the  presents  I  gave  were 
not  worth  four  maravedis.  At  ten  we  departed  with  the 
wind  S.  W.,  and  made  for  the  S.,  to  reach  that  other 
island,  which  is  very  large,  and  respecting  which  all  the 
men  that  I  bring  from  San  Salvador  make  signs  that  there 
is  much  gold,  and  that  they  wear  it  as  bracelets  on  the 
arms,  on  the  legs,  in  the  ears  and  nose,  and  round  the  neck. 
The  distance  of  this  island  from  that  of  Santa  Maria  is 
nine  leagues  on  a  course  E.  to  W.  All  this  part  of  the  island 
trends  N.  W.  and  S.  E.,  and  it  appeared  that  this  coast 


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avii&ncL  @v  <xmt 
%&i*  enntVA  cl  m  te 


Royal  letters  patent  issued  by  the  Catholic  kings  granting  Columbus, 
as  Admiral  of  the  Indies,  the  same  rights  ami  privileges  as  the  Admiral 
of  Castile.  From  the  original  in  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua. 


EXPLORATION  113 

must  have  a  length  of  twenty-eight  leagues.  It  is  very  flat, 
without  any  mountain,  like  San  Salvador  and  Santa  Maria,  all 
being  beach  without  rocks,  except  that  there  are  some  sunken 
rocks  near  the  land,  whence  it  is  necessary  to  keep  a  good 
lookout  when  it  is  desired  to  anchor,  and  not  to  come  to 
very  near  the  land;  but  the  water  is  always  very  clear,  and 
the  bottom  is  visible.  At  a  distance  of  two  shots  of  a  lom- 
bard,  there  is,  off  all  these  islands,  such  a  depth  that  the 
bottom  cannot  be  reached.  These  islands  are  very  green 
and  fertile,  the  climate  very  mild.  They  may  contain  many 
things  of  which  I  have  no  knowledge,  for  I  do  not  wish  to 
stop,  in  discovering  and  visiting  many  islands,  to  find  gold. 
These  people  make  signs  that  it  is  worn  on  the  arms  and 
legs;  and  it  must  be  gold,  for  they  point  to  some  pieces 
that  I  have.  I  cannot  err,  with  the  help  of  our  Lord,  in 
finding  out  where  this  gold  has  its  origin.  Being  in  the 
middle  of  the  channel  between  these  two  islands,  that  is  to 
say,  that  of  Santa  Maria  and  this  large  one,  to  which  I  give 
the  name  of  Fernandina,  I  came  upon  a  man  alone  in  a 
canoe  going  from  Santa  Maria  to  Fernandina.  He  had 
a  little  of  their  bread,  about  the  size  of  a  fist,  a  calabash  of 
water,  a  piece  of  brown  earth  powdered  and  then  kneaded, 
and  some  dried  leaves,  which  must  be  a  thing  highly  valued 
by  them,  for  they  bartered  with  it  at  San  Salvador.  He 
also  had  with  him  a  native  basket  with  a  string  of  glass 
beads,  and  two  blancas,  by  which  I  knew  that  he  had  come 
from  the  island  of  San  Salvador,  and  had  been  to  Santa 
Maria,  and  thence  to  Fernandina.  He  came  alongside  the 
ship,  and  I  made  him  come  on  board  as  he  desired,  also 
getting  the  canoe  inboard,  and  taking  care  of  all  his  property. 
I  ordered  him  to  be  given  to  eat  bread  and  treacle,  and 
also  to  drink:  and  so  I  shall  take  him  on  to  Fernandina, 
where  I  shall  return  everything  to  him,  in  order  that  he 
may  give  a  good  account  of  us,  that,  our  Lord  pleasing, 
when  your  Highnesses  shall  send  here,  those  who  come 
may  receive  honor,  and  that  the  natives  may  give  them  all 
they  require." 


114  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Tuesday,  i6th  of  October. 

"  I  sailed  from  the  island  of  Santa  Maria  de  la  Concepcion 
at  about  noon,  to  go  to  Fernandina  island,  which  appeared 
very  large  to  the  westward,  and  I  navigated  all  that  day 
with  light  winds.  I  could  not  arrive  in  time  to  be  able  to 
see  the  bottom,  so  as  to  drop  the  anchor  on  a  clear  place, 
for  it  is  necessary  to  be  very  careful  not  to  lose  the  anchors. 
So  I  stood  off  and  on  all  that  night  until  day,  when  I  came 
to  an  inhabited  place  where  I  anchored,  and  whence  that 
man  had  come  that  I  found  yesterday  in  the  canoe  in  mid- 
channel.  He  had  given  such  a  good  report  of  us  that  there 
was  no  want  of  canoes  alongside  the  ship  all  that  night, 
which  brought  us  water  and  what  they  had  to  offer.  I  or 
dered  each  one  to  be  given  something,  such  as  a  few  beads, 
ten  or  twelve  of  those  made  of  glass  on  a  thread,  some 
timbrels  made  of  brass  such  as  are  worth  a  maravedi  in 
Spain,  and  some  straps,  all  which  they  looked  upon  as  most 
excellent.  I  also  ordered  them  to  be  given  treacle  to  eat 
when  they  came  on  board.  At  three  o'clock  I  sent  the 
ship's  boat  on  shore  for  water,  and  the  natives  with  good 
will  showed  my  people  where  the  water  was,  and  they 
themselves  brought  the  full  casks  down  to  the  boat,  and  did 
all  they  could  to  please  us. 

"  This  island  is  very  large,  and  I  have  determined  to  sail 
round  it,  because,  so  far  as  I  can  understand,  there  is  a 
mine  in  or  near  it.  The  island  is  eight  leagues  from  Santa 
Maria,  nearly  E.  and  W. ;  and  this  point  I  had  reached,  as 
well  as  all  the  coast,  trends  N.  N.  W.  and  S.  S.  E.  I  saw  at 
least  twenty  leagues  of  it,  and  then  it  had  not  ended.  Now, 
as  I  am  writing  this,  I  made  sail  with  the  wind  at  the  S., 
to  sail  round  the  island,  and  to  navigate  until  I  find  Samaot, 
which  is  the  island  or  city  where  there  is  gold,  as  all  the 
natives  say  who  are  on  board,  and  as  those  of  San  Salvador 
and  Santa  Maria  told  us.  These  people  resemble  those 
of  the  said  islands,  with  the  same  language  and  customs, 
except  that  these  appear  to  me  a  rather  more  domestic 
and  tractable  people,  yet  also  more  subtle.  For  I  observed 


EXPLORATION  115 

that  those  who  brought  cotton  and  other  trifles  to  the  ship 
knew  better  than  the  others  how  to  make  a  bargain.  In 
this  island  I  saw  cotton  cloths  made  like  mantles.  The 
people  were  better  disposed,  and  the  women  wore  in  front 
of  their  bodies  a  small  piece  of  cotton  which  scarcely  cov 
ered  them. 

"  It  is  a  very  green  island,  level  and  very  fertile,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  that  they  sow  and  gather  corn  all  the  year  round, 
as  well  as  other  things.  I  saw  many  trees  very  unlike  those 
of  our  country.  Many  of  them  have  their  branches  grow 
ing  in  different  ways  and  all  from  one  trunk,  and  one  twig 
is  one  form,  and  another  in  a  different  shape,  and  so  unlike 
that  it  is  the  greatest  wonder  in  the  world  to  see  the  great 
diversity;  thus  one  branch  has  leaves  like  those  of  a  cane, 
and  others  like  those  of  a  mastick  tree :  and  on  a  single  tree 
there  are  five  or  six  different  kinds.  Nor  are  these  grafted, 
for  it  may  be  said  that  grafting  is  unknown,  the  trees  being 
wild,  and  untended  by  these  people.  They  do  not  know 
any  religion,  and  I  believe  they  could  easily  be  converted  to 
Christianity,  for  they  are  very  intelligent.  Here  the  fish 
are  so  unlike  ours  that  it  is  wonderful.  Some  are  the  shape 
of  dories,  and  of  the  finest  colors  in  the  world,  blue,  yellow, 
red,  and  other  tints,  all  painted  in  various  ways,  and  the 
colors  are  so  bright  that  there  is  not  a  man  who  would 
not  be  astonished,  and  would  not  take  great  delight  in 
seeing  them.  There  are  also  whales.  I  saw  no  beasts 
on  the  land  of  any  kind,  except  parrots  and  lizards.  A 
boy  told  me  that  he  saw  a  large  serpent.  I  saw  neither 
sheep,  nor  goats,  nor  any  other  quadruped.  It  is  true 
I  have  been  here  a  short  time,  since  noon,  yet  I  could 
not  have  failed  to  see  some  if  there  had  been  any.  I  will 
write  respecting  the  circuit  of  this  island  after  I  have  been 
round  it." 

Wednesday,  I  yth  of  October. 

"At  noon  I  departed  from  the  village  off  which  I  was 
anchored,  and  where  I  took  in  water,  to  sail  round  this 


Il6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

island  c/  Fernandina.  The  wind  was  S.  W.  and  S.  My 
wish  was  to  follow  the  coast  of  this  island  to  the  S.  E., 
from  where  I  was,  the  whole  coast  trending  N.  N.  W.  and 
S.  S.  E.  \  because  all  the  Indians  I  bring  with  me,  and  others, 
made  signs  to  this  southern  quarter,  as  the  direction  of  the 
island  they  call  Samaot,  where  the  gold  is.  Martin  Alonso 
Pinzon,  captain  of  the  caravel  Pinta,  on  board  of  which 
I  had  three  of  the  Indians,  came  to  me  and  said  that  one  of 
them  had  given  him  to  understand  very  positively  that  the 
island  might  be  sailed  round  much  quicker  by  shaping  a 
N.  N.  W.  course.  I  saw  that  the  wind  would  not  help 
me  to  take  the  course  I  desired,  and  that  it  was  fair  for 
the  other,  so  I  made  sail  to  the  N.  N.  W.  When  I  was 
two  leagues  from  the  cape  of  the  island,  I  discovered  a  very 
wonderful  harbor.  It  has  one  mouth,  or,  rather,  it  may 
be  said  to  have  two,  for  there  is  an  islet  in  the  middle. 
Both  are  very  narrow,  and  within  it  is  wide  enough  for  a 
hundred  ships,  if  there  was  depth  and  a  clean  bottom,  and 
the  entrance  was  deep  enough.  It  seemed  desirable  to 
explore  it  and  take  soundings,  so  I  anchored  outside,  and 
went  in  with  all  the  ship's  boats,  when  we  saw  there  was 
insufficient  depth.  As  I  thought,  when  I  first  saw  it,  that 
it  was  the  mouth  of  some  river,  I  ordered  the  water  casks 
to  be  brought.  On  shore  I  found  eight  or  ten  men,  who 
presently  came  to  us  and  showed  us  the  village,  whither 
I  sent  the  people  for  water,  some  with  arms,  and  others 
with  the  casks :  and,  as  it  was  some  little  distance,  I  waited 
two  hours  for  them. 

"  During  that  time  I  walked  among  the  trees,  which  was 
the  most  beautiful  thing  I  had  ever  seen,  beholding  as  much 
verdure  as  in  the  month  of  May  in  Andalusia.  The  trees 
are  as  unlike  ours  as  night  from  day,  as  are  the  fruits,  the 
herbs,  the  stones,  and  everything.  It  is  true  that  some  of 
the  trees  bore  some  resemblance  to  those  in  Castille,  but 
most  of  them  are  very  different,  and  some  were  so  unlike 
that  no  one  could  compare  them  to  anything  in  Castille. 
The  people  were  all  like  those  already  mentioned :  like 


EXPLORATION  1 17 

them  naked,  and  the  same  size.  They  give  what  they 
possess  in  exchange  for  anything  that  may  be  given  to  them. 
I  here  saw  some  of  the  ship's  boys  bartering  broken  bits 
of  glass  and  crockery  for  darts.  The  men  who  went  for 
water  told  me  that  they  had  been  in  the  houses  of  the 
natives,  and  that  they  were  very  plain  and  clean  inside. 
Their  beds  and  bags  for  holding  things  were  like  nets  of 
cotton.  The  houses  are  like  booths,  and  very  high,  with 
good  chimneys.  But,  among  many  villages  that  I  saw, 
there  was  none  that  consisted  of  more  than  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  houses.  Here  they  found  that  the  married  women 
wore  clouts  of  cotton,  but  not  the  young  girls,  except  a  few 
who  were  over  eighteen  years  of  age.  They  had  dogs, 
mastiffs  and  hounds,  and  here  they  found  a  man  who  had 
a  piece  of  gold  in  his  nose,  the  size  of  half  a  castellano,  on 
which  they  saw  letters.  I  quarrelled  with  these  people 
because  they  would  not  exchange  or  give  what  was  re 
quired;  as  I  wished  to  see  what  and  whose  this  money 
was;  and  they  replied  that  they  were  not  accustomed  to 
barter. 

"  After  the  water  was  taken  I  returned  to  the  ship,  made 
sail,  and  shaped  a  course  N.  W.,  until  I  had  discovered  all 
the  part  of  the  coast  of  the  island  which  trends  E.  to  W. 
Then  all  the  Indians  turned  round  and  said  that  this  island 
was  smaller  than  Samaot,  and  that  it  would  be  well  to  turn 
back  so  as  to  reach  it  sooner.  The  wind  presently  went 
down,  and  then  sprang  up  from  W.  N.  W.,  which  was  con 
trary  for  us  to  continue  on  the  previous  course.  So  I  turned 
back,  and  navigated  all  that  night  to  E.  S.  E.,  sometimes  to 
E.  and  to  S.  E.  This  course  was  steered  to  keep  me  clear 
of  the  land,  for  there  were  very  heavy  clouds  and  thick 
weather,  which  did  not  admit  of  my  approaching  the  land 
to  anchor.  On  that  night  it  rained  very  heavily  from  mid 
night  until  nearly  dawn,  and  even  afterwards  the  clouds 
threatened  rain.  We  found  ourselves  at  the  S.  W.  end  of 
the  island,  where  I  hoped  to  anchor  until  it  cleared  up,  so 
as  to  see  the  other  island  whither  I  have  to  go.  On  all 


1  1  8  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

these  days,  since  I  arrived  in  these  Indies,  it  has  rained 
more  or  less.  Your  Highnesses  may  believe  that  this  land 
is  the  best  and  most  fertile,  and  with  a  good  climate,  level, 
and  as  good  as  there  is  in  the  world." 

Thursday,  i8th  of  October. 

"After  it  had  cleared  up  I  went  before  the  wind,  ap 
proaching  the  island  as  near  as  I  could,  and  anchored  when 
it  was  no  longer  light  enough  to  keep  under  sail.  But  I  did 
not  go  on  shore,  and  made  sail  at  dawn.  .  .  .  " 


Friday,  iQth  of  October. 

"  I  weighed  the  anchors  at  daylight,  sending  the  cara 
vel  Plnta  on  an  E.  S.  E.  course,  the  caravel  Nina  S.  S.  E., 
while  I  shaped  a  S.  E.  course,  giving  orders  that  these 
courses  were  to  be  steered  until  noon,  and  that  then  the 
two  caravels  should  alter  course  so  as  to  join  company  with 
me.  Before  we  had  sailed  for  three  hours  we  saw  an  island 
to  the  E.,  for  which  we  steered,  and  all  three  vessels 
arrived  at  the  north  point  before  noon.  Here  there  is  an 
islet,  and  a  reef  of  rocks  to  seaward  of  it,  besides  one 
between  the  islet  and  the  large  island.  The  men  of  San 
Salvador,  whom  I  bring  with,  me,  called  it  Saomete,  and  I 
gave  it  the  name  of  Isabella.  The  wind  was  N.,  and  the 
said  islet  bore  from  the  island  of  Fernandina,  whence  I 
had  taken  my  departure,  E.  and  W.  Afterwards  we  ran 
along  the  coast  of  the  island,  westward  from  the  islet,  and 
found  its  length  to  be  twelve  leagues  as  far  as  a  cape,  which 
I  named  Cabo  Hermoso,  at  the  western  end.  The  island  is 
beautiful,  and  the  coast  very  deep,  without  sunken  rocks 
off  it.  Outside  the  shore  is  rocky,  but  further  in  there  is 
a  sandy  beach,  and  here  I  anchored  on  that  Friday  night 
until  morning.  This  coast  and  the  part  of  the  island  I  saw 
is  almost  flat,  and  the  island  is  very  beautiful;  for  if  the 
other  islands  are  lovely,  this  is  more  so.  It  has  many  very 
green  trees,  which  are  very  large.  The  land  is  higher  than 
in  the  other  islands,  and  in  it  there  are  some  hills,  which 


EXPLORATION  no, 

cannot  be  called  mountains;  and  it  appears  that  there  is 
much  water  inland.  From  this  point  to  the  N.  E.  the 
coast  makes  a  great  angle,  and  there  are  many  thick  and 
extensive  groves.  I  wanted  to  go  and  anchor  there,  so  as 
to  go  on  shore  and  see  so  much  beauty;  but  the  water  was 
shallow,  and  we  could  only  anchor  at  a  distance  from  the 
land.  The  wind  also  was  fair  for  going  to  this  cape,  where 
I  am  now  anchored,  to  which  I  gave  the  name  of  Cabo 
Hermoso,  because  it  is  so.  Thus  it  was  that  I  do  not 
anchor  in  that  angle,  but  as  I  saw  this  cape  so  green  and  so 
beautiful,  like  all  the  other  lands  of  these  islands,  I  scarcely 
knew  which  to  visit  first;  for  I  can  never  tire  my  eyes  iri 
looking  at  such  lovely  vegetation,  so  different  from  ours. 
I  believe  that  there  are  many  herbs  and  many  trees  that  are 
worth  much  in  Europe  for  dyes  and  for  medicines ;  but  I 
do  not  know,  and  this  causes  me  great  sorrow.  Arriving 
at  this  cape,  I  found  the  smell  of  the  trees  and  flowers  so 
delicious  that  it  seemed  the  pleasantest  thing  in  the  world. 
To-morrow,  before  I  leave  this  place,  I  shall  go  on  shore 
to  see  what  there  is  at  this  cape.  There  are  no  people, 
but  there  are  villages  in  the  interior,  where,  the  Indians  I 
bring  with  me  say,  there  is  a  king  who  has  much  gold. 
To-morrow  I  intend  to  go  so  far  inland  as  to  find  the  vil 
lage,  and  see  and  have  some  speech  with,  this  king,  who, 
according  to  the  signs  they  make,  rules  over  all  the  neigh 
boring  islands,  goes  about  clothed,  and  wears  much  gold 
on  his  person.  I  do  not  give  much  faith  to  what  they  say, 
as  well  because  I  do  not  understand  them  as  because  they 
are  so  poor  in  gold  that  even  a  little  that  this  king  may 
have  would  appear  much  to  them.  This  cape,  to  which 
I  have  given  the  name  of  Cabo  Hermoso,  is,  I  believe,  on  an 
island  separated  from  Saomete,  and  there  is. another  small 
islet  between  them.  I  did  not  try  to  examine  them  in  detail, 
because  it  could  not  be  done  in  fifty  years.  For  my  desire 
is  to  see  and  discover  as  much  as  I  can  before  returning  to 
your  Highnesses,  our  Lord  willing,  in  April.  It  is  true  that 
in  the  event  of  finding  places  where  there  is  gold  or  spices 


1 20  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORATION 

in  quantity  I  should  stop  until  I  had  collected  as  much  as  I 
could.  I,  therefore,  proceed  in  the  hope  of  coming  across 
such  places." 

Saturday,  2Oth  of  October. 

"  To-day,  at  sunrise,  I  weighed  the  anchors  from  where  I 
was  with  the  ship,  and  anchored  off  the  S.  W.  point  of  the 
island  of  Saomete,  to  which  I  gave  the  name  of  Cabo  de  la 
Laguna,  and  to  the  island  Isabella.  My  intention  was  to 
navigate  to  the  N.  E.  and  E.  from  the  S.  E.  and  S.,  where, 
I  understood  from  the  Indians  I  brought  with  me,  was  the 
village  of  the  king.  I  found  the  sea  so  shallow  that  I  could 
not  enter  nor  navigate  in  it,  and  I  saw  that  to  follow  a  route 
by  the  S.  E.  would  be  a  great  round.  So  I  determined  to 
return  by  the  route  that  I  had  taken  from  the  N.  N.  E. 
to  the  western  part,  and  to  sail  round  this  island  to  ... 

"I  had  so  little  wind  that  I  never  could  sail  along  the 
coast,  except  during  the  night.  As  it  was  dangerous  to 
anchor  off  these  islands  except  in  the  day,  when  one  can 
see  where  to  let  go  the  anchor, — for  the  bottom  is  all 
in  patches,  some  clear  and  some  rocky, — I  lay  to  all  this 
Sunday  night.  The  caravels  anchored  because  they  found 
themselves  near  the  shore,  and  they  thought  that,  owing  to 
the  signals  that  they  were  in  the  habit  of  making,  I  would 
come  to  anchor,  but  I  did  not  wish  to  do  so." 

Sunday,  2ist  of  October. 

"At  ten  o'clock  I  arrived  here,  off  this  islet,  and  anchored, 
as  well  as  the  caravels.  After  breakfast  I  went  on  shore, 
and  found  only  one  house,  in  which  there  was  no  one,  and 
I  supposed  they  had  fled  from  fear,  because  all  their  prop 
erty  was  left  in  the  house.  I  would  not  allow  anything 
to  be  touched,  but  set  out  with  the  captains  and  people  to 
explore  the  island.  If  the  others  already  seen  are  very  beau 
tiful,  green,  and  fertile,  this  is  much  more  so,  with  large  trees 
and  very  green.  Here  there  are  large  lagoons  with  won 
derful  vegetation  on  their  banks.  Throughout  the  island 


EXPLORATION  121 

all  is  green,  and  the  herbage  like  April  in  Andalusia.  The 
songs  of  the  birds  were  so  pleasant  that  it  seemed  as  if  a 
man  could  never  wish  to  leave  the  place.  The  flocks  of 
parrots  concealed  the  sun;  and  the  birds  were  so  numer 
ous,  and  of  so  many  different  kinds,  that  it  was  wonderful. 
There  are  trees  of  a  thousand  sorts,  and  all  have  their 
several  fruits ;  and  I  feel  the  most  unhappy  man  in  the 
world  not  to  know  them,  for  I  am  well  assured  that  they 
are  all  valuable.  I  bring  home  specimens  of  them,  and  also 
of  the  land.  Thus  walking  along  round  one  of  the  lakes  I 
saw  a  serpent,  which  we  killed,  and  I  bring  home  the  skin 
for  your  Highnesses.  As  soon  as  it  saw  us  it  went  into  the 
lagoon,  and  we  followed,  as  the  water  was  not  very  deep, 
until  we  killed  it  with  lances.  It  is  seven  palmos  long,  and  I 
believe  that  there  are  many  like  it  in  these  lagoons.  Here 
I  came  upon  some  aloes,  and  I  have  determined  to  take  ten 
quintals  on  board  to-morrow,  for  they  tell  me  that  they  are 
worth  a  good  deal.  Also,  while  in  search  of  good  water, 
we  came  to  a  village  about  half  a  league  from  our  anchor 
age.  The  people,  as  soon  as  they  heard  us,  all  fled  and  left 
their  houses,  hiding  their  property  in  the  wood.  I  would 
not  allow  a  thing  to  be  touched,  even  the  value  of  a  pin. 
Presently  some  men  among  them  came  to  us,  and  one  came 
quite  close.  I  gave  him  some  bells  and  glass  beads,  which 
made  him  very  content  and  happy.  That  our  friendship 
might  be  further  increased,  I  resolved  to  ask  him  for  some 
thing;  I  requested  him  to  get  some  water.  After  I  had 
gone  on  board,  the  natives  came  to  the  beach  with  cala 
bashes  full  of  water,  and  they  delighted  much  in  giving  it 
to  us.  I  ordered  another  string  of  glass  beads  to  be  pre 
sented  to  them,  and  they  said  they  would  come  again  to 
morrow.  I  wished  to  fill  up  all  the  ships  with  water  at  this 
place,  and,  if  there  should  be  time,  I  intended  to  search  the 
island  until  I  had  had  speech  with  the  king,  and  seen  whether 
he  had  the  gold  of  which  I  had  heard.  I  shall  then  shape 
a  course  for  another  much  larger  island,  which  I  believe  to 
be  Cipango,  judging  from  the  signs  made  by  the  Indians  I 


I22  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

bring  with  me.  They  call  it  Cuba,  and  they  say  that  there 
are  ships  and  many  skilful  sailors  there.  Beyond  this  island 
there  is  another  called  Bosio,  which  they  also  say  is  very 
large,  and  others  we  shall  see  as  we  pass,  lying  between. 
According  as  I  obtain  tidings  of  gold  or  spices  I  shall  settle 
what  should  be  done.  I  am  still  resolved  to  go  to  the  main 
land  and  the  city  of  Guinsay,  and  to  deliver  the  letters  of 
your  Highnesses  to  the  Gran  Can,  requesting  a  reply  and 
returning  with  it." 

Monday,  22nd  of  October. 

"All  last  night  and  to-day  I  was  here,  waiting  to  see 
if  the  king  or  other  person  would  bring  gold  or  anything  of 
value.  Many  of  these  people  came,  like  those  of  the  other 
islands,  equally  naked,  and  equally  painted,  some  white, 
some  red,  some  black,  and  others  in  many  ways.  They 
brought  darts  and  skeins  of  cotton  to  barter,  which  they 
exchanged  with  the  sailors  for  bits  of  glass,  broken  crockery, 
and  pieces  of  earthenware.  Some  of  them  had  pieces  of 
gold  fastened  in  their  noses,  which  they  willingly  gave  for 
a  hawk's  bell  and  glass  beads.  But  there  was  so  little  that 
it  counts  for  nothing.  It  is  true  that  they  looked  upon  any 
little  thing  that  I  gave  them  as  a  wonder,  and  they  held  our 
arrival  to  be  a  great  marvel,  believing  that  we  came  from 
heaven.  We  got  water  for  the  ships  from  a  lagoon  which 
is  near  the  Cabo  del  Isleo  [Cape  of  the  Islet] ,  as  we  named 
it.  In  the  said  lagoon  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon,  captain  of 
the  Pinta,  killed  another  serpent  seven  palmos  long,  like  the 
one  we  got  yesterday.  I  made  them  gather  here  as  much 
of  the  aloe  as  they  could  find." 

Tuesday,  23rd  of  October. 

"  I  desired  to  set  out  to-day  for  the  island  of  Cuba,  which 
I  think  must  be  Cipango,  according  to  the  signs  these  people 
make  indicative  of  its  size  and  riches,  and  I  did  not  delay 
any  more  here  nor  .  .  .  round  this  island  to  the  resi 
dence  of  this  king  or  lord,  and  have  speech  with  him,  as  I 


EXPLORATION  123 

had  intended.  This  would  cause  me  much  delay,  and  I  see 
that  there  is  no  gold  mine  here.  To  sail  round  would  need 
several  winds,  for  it  does  not  blow  here  as  men  may  wish. 
It  is  better  to  go  where  there  is  great  entertainment,  so  I 
say  that  it  is  not  reasonable  to  wait,  but  rather  to  continue 
the  voyage  and  inspect  much  land,  until  some  very  profit 
able  country  is  reached,  my  belief  being  that  it  will  be  rich 
in  spices.  That  I  have  no  personal  knowledge  of  these 
products  causes  me  the  greatest  sorrow  in  the  world,  for  I 
see  a  thousand  kinds  of  trees,  each  one  with  its  own  special 
fruit,  all  green  now  as  in  Spain  during  the  months  of  May 
and  June,  as  well  as  a  thousand  kinds  of  herbs  with  their 
flowers ;  yet  I  know  none  of  them  except  this  aloe,  of  which 
I  ordered  a  quantity  to  be  brought  on  board  to  bring  to  your 
Highnesses.  I  have  not  made  sail  for  Cuba,  because  there 
is  no  wind,  but  a  dead  calm  with  much  rain.  It  rained  a 
great  deal  yesterday  without  causing  any  cold.  On  the 
contrary,  the  days  are  hot  and  the  nights  cool,  like  May  in 
Andalusia." 

Wednesday,  24th  of  October. 

u  At  midnight  I  weighed  the  anchors  and  left  the  anchor 
age  at  Cabo  del  Isleo,  in  the  island  of  Isabella.  From  the 
northern  side,  where  I  was,  I  intended  to  go  to  the  island 
of  Cuba,  where  I  heard  of  the  people  who  were  very  great, 
and  had  gold,  spices,  merchandise,  and  large  ships.  They 
showed  me  that  the  course  thither  would  be  W.  S.  W.,  and 
so  I  hold.  For  I  believe  that  it  is  so,  as  all  the  Indians  of 
these  islands,  as  well  as  those  I  brought  with  me  in  the 
ships,  told  me  by  signs.  I  cannot  understand  their  language, 
but  I  believe  that  it  is  of  the  island  of  Cipango  that  they 
recount  these  wonders.  On  the  spheres  I  saw,  and  on  the 
delineations  of  the  map  of  the  world,  Cipango  is  in  this 
region.  So  I  shaped  a  course  W.  S.  W.  until  daylight,  but 
at  dawn  it  fell  calm  and  began  to  rain,  and  went  on  nearly 
all  night.  I  remained  thus,  with  little  wind,  until  the  after 
noon,  when  it  began  to  blow  fresh.  I  set  all  the  sails  in  the 


124  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

ship,  the  mainsail  with  two  bonnets,  the  foresail,  spritsail, 
mizzen,  main  topsail,  and  the  boat's  sail  on  the  poop.  So  I 
proceeded  until  nightfall,  when  the  Cabo  Verde  of  the  island 
of  Fernandina,  which  is  at  the  S.  W.  end,  bore  N.  W.  dis 
tant  seven  leagues.  As  it  was  now  blowing  hard,  and  I  did 
not  know  how  far  it  was  to  this  island  of  Cuba,  I  resolved 
not  to  go  in  search  of  it  during  the  night ;  all  these  islands 
being  very  steep-to,  with  no  bottom  round  them  for  a  dis 
tance  of  two  shots  of  a  lombard.  The  bottom  is  all  in 
patches,  one  bit  of  sand  and  another  of  rock,  and  for  this 
reason  it  is  not  safe  to  anchor  without  inspection  with  the 
eye.  So  I  determined  to  take  in  all  the  sails  except  the  fore 
sail,  and  to  go  on  under  that  reduced  canvas.  Soon  the  wind 
increased,  while  the  route  was  doubtful,  and  there  was  very 
thick  weather,  with  rain.  I  ordered  the  foresail  to  be  furled, 
and  we  did  not  make  two  leagues  during  the  night." 

Thursday,  25th  of  October. 

"  I  steered  W.  S.  W.  from  after  sunset  until  nine  o'clock, 
making  five  leagues.  Afterwards  I  altered  course  to  W., 
and  went  eight  miles  an  hour  until  one  in  the  afternoon ;  and 
from  that  time  until  three  made  good  forty-four  miles.  Then 
land  was  sighted,  consisting  of  seven  or  eight  islands,  the 
group  running  N.  and  S.,  distant  from  us  five  leagues." 

Friday,  26th  of  October. 

"The  ship  was  on  the  S.  side  of  the  islands,  which 
were  all  low,  distant  five  or  six  leagues.  I  anchored  there. 
The  Indians  on  board  said  that  thence  to  Cuba  was  a  voy 
age  in  their  canoes  of  a  day  and  a  half ;  these  being  small 
dugouts  without  a  sail.  Such  are  their  canoes.  I  departed 
thence  for  Cuba,  for  by  the  signs  the  Indians  made  of  its 
greatness,  and  of  its  gold  and  pearls,  I  thought  that  it  must 
be  Cipango." 

Saturday,  2jth  of  October. 

"  I  weighed  from  these  islands  at  sunrise,  and  gave  them 
the  name  of  Las  Is/as  de  Arena,  owing  to  the  little  depth  the 


EXPLORATION 


125 


sea  had  for  a  distance  of  six  leagues  to  the  southward  of 
them.  We  went  eight  miles  an  hour  on  a  S.  S.  W.  course 
until  one  o'clock,  having  made  forty  miles.  Until  night  we 
had  run  twenty-eight  miles  on  the  same  course,  and  before 
dark  the  land  was  sighted.  At  night  there  was  much  rain. 
The  vessels,  on  Saturday  until  sunset,  made  seventeen 
leagues  on  a  S.  S.  W.  course." 

Sunday,  28th  of  October. 

u  I  went  thence  in  search  of  the  island  of  Cuba  on  a 
S.  S.  W.  coast,  making  for  the  nearest  point  of  it,  and 
entered  a  very  beautiful  river  without  danger  of  sunken 
rocks  or  other  impediments.  All  the  coast  was  clear  of 
dangers  up  to  the  shore.  The  mouth  of  the  river  was 
twelve  brazos  across,  and  it  is  wide  enough  for  a  vessel  to 
beat  in.  I  anchored  about  a  lombard-shot  inside."  The  Ad 
miral  says  that  uhe  never  beheld  such  a  beautiful  place,  with 
trees  bordering  the  river,  handsome,  green,  and  different 
from  ours,  having  fruits  and  flowers  each  one  according  to 
its  nature.  There  are  many  birds,  which  sing  very  sweetly. 
There  are  a  great  number  of  palm  trees  of  a  different 
kind  from  those  in  Guinea  and  from  ours,  of  a  middling 
height,  the  trunks  without  that  covering  [bark] ,  and  the 
leaves  very  large,  with  which  they  thatch  their  houses. 
The  country  is  very  level."  The  Admiral  jumped  into  his 
boat  and  went  on  shore.  He  came  to  two  houses,  which  he 
believed  to  belong  to  fishermen  who  had  fled  from  fear.  In 
one  of  them  he  found  a  kind  of  dog  that  never  barks,  and 
in  both  there  were  nets  of  palm  fibre  and  cordage,  as  well 
as  horn  fishhooks,  bone  harpoons,  and  other  apparatus  u  for 
fishing,  and  several  hearths.  He  believed  that  many  people 
lived  together  in  one  house.  He  gave  orders  that  nothing 
in  the  houses  should  be  touched,  and  so  it  was  done."  The 
herbage  was  as  thick  as  in  Andalusia  during  April  and  May. 
He  found  much  purslane  and  wild  amaranth.  He  returned 
to  the  boat  and  went  up  the  river  for  some  distance,  and  he 
says  it  was  great  pleasure  to  see  the  bright  verdure,  and  the 


I26  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

birds,  which  he  could  not  leave  to  go  back.  He  says  that 
this  island  is  the  most  beautiful  that  eyes  have  seen,  full  of 
good  harbors  and  deep  rivers,  and  the  sea  appeared  as  if  it 
never  rose ;  for  the  herbage  on  the  beach  nearly  reached  the 
waves,  which  does  not  happen  where  the  sea  is  rough.  [Up 
to  that  time  they  had  not  experienced  a  rough  sea  among 
all  those  islands.]  He  says  that  the  island  is  full  of  very 
beautiful  mountains,  although  they  are  not  very  extensive 
as  regards  length,  but  high  \  and  all  the  country  is  high  like 
Sicily.  It  is  abundantly  supplied  with  water,  as  they  gath 
ered  from  the  Indians  they  had  taken  with  them  from  the 
island  of  Guanahani.  These  said  by  signs  that  there  are 
ten  great  rivers,  and  that  they  cannot  go  round  the  island 
in  twenty  days.  When  they  came  near  land  with  the  ships, 
two  canoes  came  out;  and  when  they  saw  the  sailors  get 
into  a  boat  and  row  about  to  find  the  depth  of  the  river 
where  they  could  anchor,  the  canoes  fled.  The  Indians  say 
that  in  this  land  there  are  gold  mines  and  pearls,  and  the 
Admiral  saw  a  likely  place  for  them  and  mussel  shells, 
which  are  signs  of  them.  He  understood  that  large  ships 
of  the  Gran  Can  came  here,  and  that  from  here  to  the  main 
land  was  a  voyage  of  ten  days.  The  Admiral  called  this 
river  and  harbor  San  Salvador. 

Monday,  2Qth  of  October. 

The  Admiral  weighed  anchor  from  this  port  and  sailed 
to  the  westward,  to  go  to  the  city,  where,  as  it  seemed,  the 
Indians  said  that  there  was  a  king.  They  doubled  a  point 
six  leagues  to  the  N.  W.,  and  then  another  point,  then  E. 
ten  leagues.  After  another  league  he  saw  a  river  with  no 
very  large  entrance,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Rio  de 
la  Luna.  He  went  on  until  the  hour  of  vespers.  He  saw 
another  river  much  larger  than  the  others,  as  the  Indians 
told  him  by  signs,  and  near  he  saw  goodly  villages  of  houses. 
He  called  the  river  Rio  de  Mares.  He  sent  two  boats  on 
shore  to  a  village  to  communicate,  and  one  of  the  Indians 
he  had  brought  with  him,  for  now  they  understood  a  little, 


EXPLORAriON 


I27 


and  showed  themselves  content  with  the  Christians.  All 
the  men,  women,  and  children  fled,  abandoning  their  houses 
with  all  they  contained.  The  Admiral  gave  orders  that 
nothing  should  be  touched.  The  houses  were  better  than 
those  he  had  seen  before,  and  he  believed  that  the  houses 
would  improve  as  he  approached  the  mainland.  They  were 
made  like  booths,  very  large,  and  looking  like  tents  in  a 
camp  without  regular  streets,  but  one  here  and  another 
there.  Within  they  were  clean  and  well  swept,  with  the 
furniture  well  made.  All  are  of  palm  branches  beautifully 
constructed.  They  found  many  images  in  the  shape  of 
women,  and  many  heads  like  masks,  very  well  carved.  It 
was  not  known  whether  these  were  used  as  ornaments,  or 
to  be  worshipped.  They  had  dogs  which  never  bark,  and 
wild  birds  tamed  in  their  houses.  There  was  a  wonderful 
supply  of  nets  and  other  fishing  implements,  but  nothing 
was  touched.  He  believed  that  all  the  people  on  the  coast 
were  fishermen,  who  took  the  fish  inland,  for  this  island  is 
very  large,  and  so  beautiful,  that  he  is  never  tired  of  prais 
ing  it.  He  says  that  he  found  trees  and  fruits  of  very 
marvellous  taste;  and  adds  that  they  must  have  cows  or 
other  cattle,  for  he  saw  skulls  which  were  like  those  of 
cows.  The  songs  of  the  birds  and  the  chirping  of  crickets 
throughout  the  night  lulled  everyone  to  rest,  while  the  air 
was  soft  and  healthy,  and  the  nights  neither  hot  nor  cold. 
On  the  voyage  through  the  other  islands  there  was  great 
heat,  but  here  it  is  tempered  like  the  month  of  May.  He 
attributed  the  heat  of  the  other  islands  to  their  flatness, 
and  to  the  wind  coming;  from  the  E.,  which  is  hot.  The 

O 

water  of  the  rivers  was  salt  at  the  mouth,  and  they  did  not 
know  whence  the  natives  got  their  drinking  water,  though 
they  have  sweet  water  in  their  houses.  Ships  are  able  to 
turn  in  this  river,  both  entering  and  coming  out,  and  there 
are  very  good  leading  marks.  He  says  that  all  this  sea  ap 
pears  to  be  constantly  smooth,  like  the  river  at  Seville,  and 
the  water  suitable  for  the  growth  of  pearls.  He  found  large 
shells,  unlike  those  of  Spain.  Remarking  on  the  position 


128  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  the  river  and  port,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  San 
Salvador,  he  describes  its  mountains  as  lofty  and  beauti 
ful,  like  the  Pena  de  las  Enamoradas,  and  one  of  them  has 
another  little  hill  on  its  summit,  like  a  graceful  mosque. 
The  other  river  and  port,  in  which  he  now  was,  has  two 
round  mountains  to  the  S.  W.,  and  a  fine  low  cape  running 
out  to  the  W.  S.  W. 

Tuesday,  3Oth  of  October. 

He  left  the  Rio  de  Mares  and  steered  N.  W.,  seeing;  a 

1  O 

cape  covered  with  palm  trees,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  Cabo  de  Palmas,  after  having  made  good  fifteen  leagues. 
The  Indians  on  board  the  caravel  Pinta  said  that  beyond 
that  cape  there  was  a  river,  and  that  from  the  river  to  Cuba 
it  was  four  days'  journey.  The  captain  of  the  Pinta  re 
ported  that  he  understood  from  that  that  this  Cuba  was  a 
city,  and  that  the  land  was  a  great  continent  trending  far 
to  the  north.  The  king  of  that  country,  he  gathered,  was 
at  war  with  the  Gran  Can,  whom  they  called  Cami^  and  his 
land  or  city  Fava,  with  many  other  names.  The  Admiral 
resolved  to  proceed  to  that  river,  and  to  send  a  present, 
with  the  letter  of  the  Sovereigns,  to  the  king  of  that  land. 
For  this  service  there  was  a  sailor  who  had  been  to  Guinea, 
and  some  of  the  Indians  of  Guanahani  wished  to  go  with 
him,  and  afterwards  to  return  to  their  homes.  The  Admiral 
calculated  that  he  was  forty-two  degrees  to  the  north  of 
the  equinoctial  line  [but  the  handwriting  is  here  illegible] . 
He  says  that  he  must  attempt  to  reach  the  Gran  Can,  who 
he  thought  was  here  or  at  the  city  of  Cathay,  which  belongs 
to  him,  and  is  very  grand,  as  he  was  informed  before 
leaving  Spain.  All  this  land,  he  adds,  is  low  and  beautiful, 
and  the  sea  deep. 

Wednesday,  3ist  of  October. 

All  Tuesday  night  he  was  beating  to  windward,  and  he 
saw  a  river,  but  could  not  enter  it  because  the  entrance  was 
narrow.  The  Indians  fancied  that  the  ships  could  enter 


The  commission  given  to  Columbus  creating  .urn  Admiral  of  the  Indies 
From  the  ordinal  in  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Veravua. 


EXPLORATION  129 

wherever  their  canoes  could  go.  Navigating  onwards,  he 
came  to  a  cape  running  out  very  far,  and  surrounded  by 
sunken  rocks,  and  he  saw  a  bay  where  small  vessels  might 
take  shelter.  He  could  not  proceed  because  the  wind  had 
come  round  to  the  N.,  and  all  the  coast  runs  N.  W.  and 
S.  E.  Another  cape  further  on  ran  out  still  more.  For 
these  reasons,  and  because  the  sky  showed  signs  of  a  gale, 
he  had  to  return  to  the  Rio  de  Mares. 

Thursday,  ist  of  November. 

At  sunrise  the  Admiral  sent  the  boats  on  shore  to  the 
houses  that  were  there,  and  they  found  that  all  the  people 
had  fled.  After  some  time  a  man  made  his  appearance. 
The  Admiral  ordered  that  he  should  be  left  to  himself,  and 
the  sailors  returned  to  the  boats.  After  dinner,  one  of  the 
Indians  on  board  was  sent  on  shore.  He  called  out  from 
a  distance  that  there  was  nothing  to  fear,  because  the 
strangers  were  good  people  and  would  do  no  harm  to  any 
one,  nor  were  they  people  of  the  Gran  Can,  but  they  had 
given  away  their  things  in  many  islands  where  they  had  been. 
The  Indian  then  swam  on  shore,  and  two  of  the  natives 
took  him  by  the  arms  and  brought  him  to  a  house,  where 
they  heard  what  he  had  to  say.  When  they  were  certain 
that  no  harm  would  be  done  to  them  they  were  reassured, 
and  presently  more  than  sixteen  canoes  came  to  the  ships 
with  cotton  thread  and  other  trifles.  The  Admiral  ordered 
that  nothing  should  be  taken  from  them,  that  they  might 
understand  that  he  sought  for  nothing  but  gold,  which  they 
call  nucay.  Thus  they  went  to  and  fro  between  the  ships 
and  the  shore  all  day,  and  they  came  to  the  Christians  on 
shore  with  confidence.  The  Admiral  saw  no  gold  whatever 
among  them,  but  he  says  that  he  saw  one  of  them  with  a 
piece  of  worked  silver  fastened  to  his  nose.  They  said,  by 
signs,  that  within  three  days  many  merchants  from  inland 
would  come  to  buy  the  things  brought  by  the  Christians, 
and  would  give  information  respecting  the  king  of  that  land. 
So  far  as  could  be  understood  from  their  signs,  he  resided 


1 30  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

at  a  distance  of  four  days'  journey.  They  had  sent  many 
messengers  in  all  directions,  with  news  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Admiral.  "These  people,"  says  the  Admiral,  "are  of 
the  same  appearance  and  have  the  same  customs  as  those 
of  the  other  islands,  without  any  religion  so  far  as  I  know, 
for  up  to  this  day  I  have  never  seen  the  Indians  on  board 
say  any  prayer ;  though  they  repeat  the  Salve  and  Ave  Maria 
with  their  hands  raised  to  heaven,  and  they  make  the  sign 
of  the  cross.  The  language  is  also  the  same,  and  they 
are  all  friends;  but  I  believe  that  all  these  islands  are  at 
war  with  the  Gran  Can,  whom  they  called  Cavila,  and 
his  province  Bafan.  They  all  go  naked  like  the  others." 
This  is  what  the  Admiral  says.  "The  river,"  he  adds,  "is 
very  deep,  and  the  ships  can  enter  the  mouth,  going  close 
to  the  shore.  The  sweet  water  does  not  come  within  a 
league  of  the  mouth.  It  is  certain,"  says  the  Admiral,  "  that 
this  is  the  mainland,  and  that  I  am  in  front  of  Zayto  and 
Guinsay,  a  hundred  leagues,  a  little  more  or  less,  distant  the 
one  from  the  other.  It  is  very  clear  that  no  one  before  has 
been  so  far  as  this  by  sea.  Yesterday,  with  wind  from  the 
N.  W.,  I  found  it  cold." 

Friday,  2nd  of  November. 

The  Admiral  decided  upon  sending  two  Spaniards,  one 
named  Rodrigo  de  Jerez,  who  lived  in  Ayamonte,  and  the 
other  Luis  de  Torres,  who  had  served  in  the  household  of 
the  Adelantado  of  Murcia,  and  had  been  a  Jew,  knowing 
Hebrew,  Chaldee,  and  even  some  Arabic.  With  these 
men  he  sent  two  Indians,  one  from  among  those  he  had 
brought  from  Guanahani,  and  another  a  native  of  the 
houses  by  the  riverside.  He  gave  them  strings  of  beads 
with  which  to  buy  food  if  they  should  be  in  need,  and 
ordered  them  to  return  in  six  days.  He  gave  them  speci 
mens  of  spices,  to  see  if  any  were  to  be  found.  Their 
instructions  were  to  ask  for  the  king  of  that  land,  and  they 
were  told  what  to  say  on  the  part  of  the  Sovereigns  of 
Castille,  how  they  had  sent  the  Admiral  with  letters  and  a 


EXPLORATION  13! 

present,  to  inquire  after  his  health  and  establish  friendship, 
favoring  him  in  what  he  might  desire  from  them.  They 
were  to  collect  information  respecting  certain  provinces, 
ports,  and  rivers  of  which  the  Admiral  had  notice,  and 
ascertain  their  distances  from  where  he  was. 

This  night  the  Admiral  took  an  altitude  with  a  quadrant, 
and  found  that  the  distance  from  the  equinoctial  line  was 
forty-two  degrees.  He  says  that,  by  his  reckoning,  he  finds 
that  he  was  gone  over  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty- 
two  leagues  from  the  island  of  Hierro.  He  still  believes 
that  he  has  reached  the  mainland. 

Saturday,  3rd  of  November. 

In  the  morning  the  Admiral  got  into  the  boat,  and,  as 
the  river  is  like  a  great  lake  at  the  mouth,  forming  a  very 
excellent  port,  very  deep,  and  clear  of  rocks,  with  a  good 
beach  for  careening  ships,  and  plenty  of  fuel,  he  explored  it 
until  he  came  to  fresh  water  at  a  distance  of  two  leagues 
from  the  mouth.  He  ascended  a  small  mountain  to  obtain 
a  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  but  could  see  nothing, 
owing  to  the  dense  foliage  of  the  trees,  which  were  very 
fresh  and  odoriferous,  so  that  he  felt  no  doubt  that  there 
were  aromatic  herbs  among  them.  He  said  that  all  he  saw 
was  so  beautiful  that  his  eyes  could  never  tire  of  gazing 
upon  such  loveliness,  nor  his  ears  of  listening  to  the  songs 
of  birds.  That  day  many  canoes  came  to  the  ships,  to 
barter  with  cotton  threads  and  with  the  nets  in  which  they 
sleep,  called  hamacas. 

Sunday,  4th  of  November. 

At  sunrise  the  Admiral  again  went  away  in  the  boat,  and 
landed  to  hunt  the  birds  he  had  seen  the  day  before.  After 
a  time,  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  came  to  him  with  two  pieces 
of  cinnamon,  and  said  that  a  Portuguese,  who  was  one  of 
his  crew,  had  seen  an  Indian  carrying  two  very  large  bundles 
of  it;  but  he  had  not  bartered  for  it,  because  of  the  pen 
alty  imposed  by  the  Admiral  on  anyone  who  bartered.  He 


1^2  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

further  said  that  this  Indian  carried  some  brown  things  like 
nutmegs.  The  master  of  the  Pinta  said  that  he  had  found 
the  cinnamon  trees.  The  Admiral  went  to  the  place,  and 
found  that  they  were  not  cinnamon  trees.  The  Admiral 
showed  the  Indians  some  specimens  of  cinnamon  and  pepper 
he  had  brought  from  Castille,  and  they  knew  it,  and  said, 
by  signs,  that  there  was  plenty  in  the  vicinity,  pointing  to 
the  S.  E.  He  also  showed  them  gold  and  pearls,  on  which 
certain  old  men  said  that  there  was  an  infinite  quantity  in 
a  place  called  Bohio^  and  that  the  people  wore  it  on  their 
necks,  ears,  arms,  and  legs,  as  well  as  pearls.  He  further 
understood  them  to  say  that  there  were  great  ships  and 
much  merchandise,  all  to  the  S.  E.  He  also  understood 
that,  far  away,  there  were  men  with  one  eye,  and  others 
with  dogs'  noses  who  were  cannibals,  and  that  when  they 
captured  an  enemy  they  beheaded  him  and  drank  his  blood. 
The  Admiral  then  determined  to  return  to  the  ship  and 
wait  for  the  return  of  the  two  men  he  had  sent,  intending 
to  depart  and  seek  for  those  lands,  if  his  envoys  brought 
some  good  news  touching  what  he  desired.  The  Admiral 
further  says :  "  These  people  are  very  gentle  and  timid ; 
they  go  naked,  as  I  have  said,  without  arms  and  without 
law.  The  country  is  very  fertile.  The  people  have  plenty 
of  roots  called  zanahorias  [yams] ,  with  a  smell  like  chest 
nuts;  and  they  have  beans  of  kinds  very  different  from 
ours.  They  also  have  much  cotton,  which  they  do  not  sow, 
as  it  is  wild  in  the  mountains,  and  I  believe  they*  collect  it 
throughout  the  year,  because  I  saw  pods  empty,  others  full, 
and  flowers  all  on  one  tree.  There  are  a  thousand  other 
kinds  of  fruits  which  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  write  about, 
and  all  must  be  profitable."  All  this  the  Admiral  says. 

Monday,  5th  of  November. 

This  morning  the  Admiral  ordered  the  ship  to  be  ca 
reened,  afterwards  the  other  vessels,  but  not  all  at  the  same 
time.  Two  were  always  to  be  at  the  anchorage,  as  a 
precaution;  although  he  says  that  these  people  were  very 


EXPLORATION 


'33 


safe,  and  that  without  fear  all  the  vessels  might  have  been 
careened  at  the  same  time.  Things  being  in  this  state,  the 
master  of  the  Nina  came  to  claim  a  reward  from  the  Ad 
miral  because  he  had  found  mastick,  but  he  did  not  bring 
the  specimen,  as  he  had  dropped  it.  The  Admiral  promised 
him  a  reward,  and  sent  Rodrigo  Sanchez  and  Master  Diego 
to  the  trees.  They  collected  some,  which  was  kept  to  pre 
sent  to  the  Sovereigns,  as  well  as  the  tree.  The  Admiral 
says  that  he  knew  it  was  mastick,  though  it  ought  to  be 
gathered  at  the  proper  season.  There  is  enough  in  that  dis 
trict  for  a  yield  of  one  thousand  quintals  every  year.  The 
Admiral  also  found  here  a  great  deal  of  the  plant  called  aloe. 
He  further  says  that  the  Puerto  de  Mares  is  the  best  in  the 
world,  with  the  finest  climate  and  the  most  gentle  people. 
As  it  has  a  high,  rocky  cape,  a  fortress  might  be  built,  so 
that,  in  the  event  of  the  place  becoming  rich  and  important, 
the  merchants  would  be  safe  from  any  other  nations.  He 
adds :  "  The  Lord,  in  whose  hands  are  all  victories,  will 
ordain  all  things  for  his  service.  An  Indian  said  by  signs 
that  the  mastick  was  good  for  pains  in  the  stomach." 

Tuesday,  6th  of  November. 

"Yesterday,  at  night,"  says  the  Admiral,  uthe  two  men 
came  back  who  had  been  sent  to  explore  the  interior. 
They  said  that  after  walking  twelve  leagues  they  came  to  a 
village  of  fifty  houses,  where  there  were  a  thousand  inhabit 
ants,  for  many  live  in  one  house.  These  houses  are  like 
very  large  booths.  They  said  that  they  were  received  with 
great  solemnity,  according  to  custom,  and  all,  both  men 
and  women,  came  out  to  see  them.  They  were  lodged  in 
the  best  houses,  and  the  people  touched  them,  kissing  their 
hands  and  feet,  marvelling  and  believing  that  they  came 
from  heaven,  and  so  they  gave  them  to  understand.  They 
gave  them  to  eat  of  what  they  had.  When  they  arrived, 
the  chief  people  conducted  them  by  the  arms  to  the  prin 
cipal  house,  gave  them  two  chairs  on  which  to  sit,  and  all 
the  natives  sat  round  them  on  the  ground.  The  Indian 


134  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

who  came  with  them  described  the  manner  of  living  of  the 
Christians,  and  said  that  they  were  good  people.  Presently 
the  men  went  out,  and  the  women  came  sitting  round  them 
in  the  same  way,  kissing  their  hands  and  feet,  and  look 
ing  to  see  if  they  were  of  flesh  and  bones  like  themselves. 
They  begged  the  Spaniards  to  remain  with  them  at  least 
five  days."  The  Spaniards  showed  the  natives  specimens 
of  cinnamon,  pepper,  and  other  spices  which  the  Admiral 
had  given  them,  and  they  said,  by  signs,  that  there  was 
plenty  at  a  short  distance  from  thence  to  S.  E.,  but  that 
there  they  did  not  know  whether  there  was  any.  Finding 
that  they  had  no  information  respecting  cities,  the  Span 
iards  returned;  and  if  they  had  desired  to  take  those  who 
wished  to  accompany  them,  more  than  five  hundred  men  and 
women  would  have  come,  because  they  thought  the  Spaniards 
were  returning  to  heaven.  There  came,  however,  a  princi 
pal  man  of  the  village  and  his  son,  with  a  servant.  The  Ad 
miral  conversed  with  them,  and  showed  them  much  honor. 
They  made  signs  respecting  many  lands  and  islands  in 
those  parts.  The  Admiral  thought  of  bringing  them  to 
the  Sovereigns.  He  says  that  he  knew  not  what  fancy 
took  them;  either  from  fear,  or  owing  to  the  dark  night, 
they  wanted  to  land.  The  ship  was  at  the  time  high  and 
dry,  but,  not  wishing  to  make  them  angry,  he  let  them  go 
on  their  saying  that  they  would  return  at  dawn,  but  they 
never  came  back.  The  two  Christians  met  with  many 
people  on  the  road  going  home,  men  and  women  with  a 
half-burnt  weed  in  their  hands,  being  the  herbs  they  are 
accustomed  to  smoke.  They  did  not  find  villages  on  the 
road  of  more  than  five  houses,  all  receiving  them  with 
the  same  reverence.  They  saw  many  kinds  of  trees,  herbs, 
and  sweet-smelling  flowers;  and  birds  of  many  different 
kinds,  unlike  those  of  Spain,  except  the  partridges,  geese, 
of  which  there  are  many,  and  singing  nightingales.  They 
saw  no  quadrupeds  except  the  dogs  that  do  not  bark.  The 
land  is  very  fertile,  and  is  cultivated  with  yams  and  several 
kinds  of  beans  different  from  ours,  as  well  as  corn.  There 


EXPLORATION 


'35 


were  great  quantities  of  cotton  gathered,  spun,  and  worked 
up.  In  a  single  house  they  saw  more  than  five  hundred 
arrobas,  and  as  much  as  four  thousand  quintals  could  be 
yielded  every  year.  The  Admiral  said  that  "it  did  not  ap 
pear  to  be  cultivated,  and  that  it  bore  all  the  year  round.  It 
is  very  fine,  and  has  a  large  boll.  All  that  was  possessed  by 
these  people  they  gave  at  a  very  low  price,  and  a  great  bundle 
of  cotton  was  exchanged  for  the  point  of  a  needle  or  other 
trifle.  They  are  a  people,"  says  the  Admiral,  u  guileless  and 
unwarlike.  Men  and  women  go  as  naked  as  when  their 
mothers  bore  them.  It  is  true  that  the  women  wear  a  very 
small  rag  or  cotton  cloth,  and  they  are  of  very  good  appear 
ance,  not  very  dark,  less  so  than  the  Canarians.  I  hold, 
most  serene  Princes,  that  if  devout  religious  persons  were 
here,  knowing  the  language,  they  would  all  turn  Christians. 
I  trust  in  our  Lord  that  your  Highnesses  will  resolve  upon 
this  with  much  diligence,  to  bring  so  many  great  nations 
within  the  Church,  and  to  convert  them;  as  you  have  de 
stroyed  those  who  would  not  confess  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  after  your  days,  all  of  us  being 
mortal,  may  your  kingdoms  remain  in  peace,  and  free  from 
heresy  and  evil,  and  may  you  be  well  received  before  the 
eternal  Creator,  to  whom  I  pray  that  you  may  have  long 
life  and  great  increase  of  kingdom  and  lordships,  with  the 
will  and  disposition  to  increase  the  holy  Christian  religion 
as  you  have  done  hitherto.  Amen  !  " 

u  To-day  I  got  the  ship  afloat,  and  prepared  to  depart  on 
Thursday,  in  the  name  of  God,  and  to  steer  S.  E.  in  search 
of  gold  and  spices,  and  to  discover  land." 

These  are  the  words  of  the  Admiral,  who  intended  to 
depart  on  Thursday,  but,  the  wind  being  contrary,  he  could 
not  go  until  the  I2th  of  November. 

Monday,  I2th  of  November. 

The  Admiral  left  the  port  and  river  of  Mares  before 
dawn  to  visit  the  island  called  Babeque,  so  much  talked  of 
by  the  Indians  on  board,  where,  according  to  their  signs, 


i36 


DISCO VER Y  AND  EXPLORA riON 


the  people  gather  the  gold  on  the  beach  at  night  with 
candles,  and  afterwards  beat  it  into  bars  with  hammers. 
To  go  thither  it  was  necessary  to  shape  a  course  E.  by  S. 
After  having  made  eight  leagues  along  the  coast,  a  river  was 
sighted,  and  another  four  leagues  brought  them  to  another 
river,  which  appeared  to  be  of  great  volume,  and  larger  than 
any  they  had  yet  seen.  The  Admiral  did  not  wish  to  stop 
nor  to  enter  any  of  these  rivers,  for  two  reasons:  the  first 
and  principal  one  being  that  wind  and  weather  were  favor 
able  for  going  in  search  of  the  said  island  of  Babeque;  the 
other,  that,  if  there  was  a  populous  and  famous  city  near 
the  sea,  it  would  be  visible,  while,  to  go  up  the  rivers,  small 
vessels  are  necessary,  which  those  of  the  expedition  were 
not.  Much  time  would  thus  be  lost;  moreover,  the  explora 
tion  of  such  rivers  is  a  separate  enterprise.  All  that  coast 
was  peopled  near  the  river,  to  which  the  name  of  Rio  del 
Sol  was  given. 

The  Admiral  says  that,  on  the  previous  Sunday,  the  nth 
of  November,  it  seemed  good  to  take  some  persons  from 
amongst  those  at  Rio  de  Mares,  to  bring  to  the  Sovereigns, 
that  they  might  learn  our  language,  so  as  to  be  able  to  tell 
us  what  there  is  in  their  lands.  Returning,  they  would  be 
the  mouthpieces  of  the  Christians,  and  would  adopt  our 
customs  and  the  things  of  the  faith.  "  I  saw  and  knew," 
says  the  Admiral,  "  that  these  people  are  without  any  re 
ligion,  not  idolaters,  but  very  gentle,  not  knowing  what  is 
evil,  nor  the  sins  of  murder  and  theft,  being  without  arms, 
and  so  timid  that  a  hundred  would  fly  before  one  Spaniard, 
although  they  joke  with  them.  They,  however,  believe  and 
know  that  there  is  a  God  in  heaven,  and  say  that  we  have 
come  from  heaven.  At  any  prayer  that  we  say,  they  repeat, 
and  make  the  sign  of  the  cross.  Thus  your  Highnesses 
should  resolve  to  make  them  Christians,  for  I  believe  that, 
if  the  work  was  begun,  in  a  little  time  a  multitude  of  nations 
would  be  converted  to  our  faith,  with  the  acquisition  of 
great  lordships,  peoples,  and  riches  for  Spain.  Without 
doubt,  there  is  in  these  lands  a  vast  quantity  of  gold,  and 


EXPLORATION  137 

the  Indians  I  have  on  board  do  not  speak  without  reason 
when  they  say  that  in  these  islands  there  are  places  where 
they  dig  out  gold,  and  wear  it  on  their  necks,  ears,  arms, 
and  legs,  the  rings  being  very  large.  There  are  also  pre 
cious  stones,  pearls,  and  an  infinity  of  spices.  In  this  river 
of  Mares,  whence  we  departed  to-night,  there  is  undoubtedly 
a  great  quantity  of  mastick,  and  much  more  could  be  raised, 
because  the  trees  may  be  planted,  and  will  yield  abundantly. 
The  leaf  and  fruit  are  like  the  mastick,  but  the  tree  and 
leaf  are  larger.  As  Pliny  describes  it,  I  have  seen  it  on 
the  island  of  Chios  in  the  Archipelago.  I  ordered  many  of 
these  trees  to  be  tapped,  to  see  if  any  of  them  would  yield 
resin;  but,  as  it  rained  all  the  time  I  was  in  that  river,  I 
could  not  get  any,  except  a  very  little,  which  I  am  bringing 
to  your  Highnesses.  It  may  not  be  the  right  season  for 
tapping,  which  is,  I  believe,  when  the  trees  come  forth  after 
winter  and  begin  to  flower.  But  when  I  was  there  the  fruit 
was  nearly  ripe.  Here  also  there  is  a  great  quantity  of 
cotton,  and  I  believe  it  would  have  a  good  sale  here  without 
sending  it  to  Spain,  but  to  the  great  cities  of  the  Gran  Can, 
which  will  be  discovered  without  doubt,  and  many  others 
ruled  over  by  other  lords,  who  will  be  pleased  to  serve  your 
Highnesses,  and  whither  will  be  brought  other  commodities 
of  Spain  and  of  the  Eastern  lands;  but  these  are  to  the 
west  as  regards  us.  There  is  also  .here  a  great  yield  of 
aloes,  though  this  is  not  a  commodity  that  will  yield  great 
profit.  The  mastick,  however,  is  important,  for  it  is  only 
obtained  from  the  said  island  of  Chios,  and  I  believe  the 
harvest  is  worth  fifty  thousand  ducats,  if  I  remember  right. 
There  is  here,  in  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  best  port  I 
have  seen  up  to  this  time,  wide,  deep,  and  clear  of  rocks. 
It  is  an  excellent  site  for  a  town  and  fort,  for  any  ship 
could  come  close  up  to  the  walls ;  the  land  is  high,  with  a 
temperate  climate,  and  very  good  water. 

"Yesterday  a  canoe  came  alongside  the  ship,  with  six 
youths  in  it.  Five  came  on  board,  and  I  ordered  them  to 
be  detained.  They  are  now  here.  I  afterwards  sent  to  a 


138  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

house  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  and  seized  seven 
women,  old  and  young,  and  three  children.  I  did  this 
because  the  men  would  behave  better  in  Spain  if  they  had 
women  of  their  own  land,  than  without  them.  For  on 
many  occasions  the  men  of  Guinea  have  been  brought  to 
learn  the  language  in  Portugal,  and  afterwards,  when  they 
returned,  and  it  was  expected  that  they  would  be  useful  in 
their  land,  owing  to  the  good  company  they  had  enjoyed 
and  the  gifts  they  had  received,  they  never  appeared  after 
arriving.  Others  may  not  act  thus.  But,  having  women, 
they  have  the  wish  to  perform  what  they  are  required  to  do ; 
besides,  the  women  would  teach  our  people  their  language, 
which  is  the  same  in  all  these  islands,  so  that  those  who 
make  voyages  in  their  canoes  are  understood  everywhere. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  a  thousand  different  languages 
in  Guinea,  and  one  native  does  not  understand  another. 

"The  same  night  the  husband  of  one  of  the  women  came 
alongside  in  a  canoe,  who  was  father  of  the  three  children — 
one  boy  and  two  girls.  He  asked  me  to  let  him  come 
with  them,  and  besought  me  much.  They  are  now  all  con 
soled  at  being  with  one  who  is  a  relation  of  them  all.  He 
is  a  man  of  about  forty-five  years  of  age."  All  these  are  the 
words  of  the  Admiral.  He  also  says  that  he  had  felt  some 
cold,  and  that  it  would  not  be  wise  to  continue  discoveries 
in  a  northerly  direction  in  the  winter.  On  this  Monday, 
until  sunset,  he  steered  a  course  E.  by  S.,  making  eighteen 
leagues,  and  reaching  a  cape,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
Cabo  de  Cuba. 

Tuesday,  I3th  of  November. 

This  night  the  ships  were  on  a  bowline,  as  the  sailors 
say,  beating  to  the  windward  without  making  any  progress. 
At  sunset  they  began  to  see  an  opening  in  the  mountains, 
where  two  very  high  peaks  were  visible.  It  appeared  that 
here  was  the  division  between  the  land  of  Cuba  and  that  of 
Bohio,  and  this  was  affirmed  by  signs,  by  the  Indians 
who  were  on  board.  As  soon  as  the  day  had  dawned,  the 


EXPLORATION 

Admiral  made  sail  towards  the  land,  passing  a  point  which 
appeared  at  night  to  be  distant  two  leagues.  He  then 
entered  a  large  gulf,  five  leagues  to  the  S.  S.  E.,  and  there 
remained  five  more,  to  arrive  at  the  point  where,  between 
two  great  mountains,  there  appeared  to  be  an  opening;  but 
it  could  not  be  made  out  whether  it  was  an  inlet  of  the  sea. 
As  he  desired  to  go  to  the  island  called  Babeque,  where, 
according  to  the  information  he  had  received,  there  was 
much  gold ;  and  as  it  bore  E.,  and  as  no  large  town  was  in 
sight,  the  wind  freshening  more  than  ever,  he  resolved  to 
put  out  to  sea,  and  work  to  the  E.  with  a  northerly  wind. 
The  ship  made  eight  miles  an  hour,  and  from  ten  in  the 
forenoon,  when  that  course  was  taken,  until  sunset,  fifty- 
six  miles,  which  is  fourteen  leagues  to  the  eastward  from 
the  Cabo  de  Cuba.  The  other  land  of  Bohio  was  left 
to  leeward.  Commencing  from  the  cape  of  the  said  gulf, 
he  discovered,  according  to  his  reckoning,  eighty  miles, 
equal  to  twenty  leagues,  all  that  coast  running  E.  S.  E.  and 
W.  N.  W. 

Wednesday,  I4th  of  November. 

All  last  night  the  Admiral  was  beating  to  windward  (he 
said  that  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  navigate  among  those 
islands  during  the  night,  until  they  had  been  explored),  for 
the  Indians  said  yesterday  that  it  would  take  three  days  to 
go  from  Rio  de  Mares  to  the  island  of  Babeque,  by  which 
should  be  understood  days'  journey  in  their  canoes  equal  to 
about  seven  leagues.  The  wind  fell,  and,  the  course  being  E., 
she  could  not  lay  her  course  nearer  than  S.  E.,  and,  owing 
to  other  mischances,  he  was  detained  until  the  morning.  At 
sunrise  he  determined  to  go  in  search  of  a  port,  because  the 
wind  had  shifted  from  N.  to  N.  E.,  and  if  a  port  could 
not  be  found,  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  back  to  the  ports 
in  the  island  of  Cuba,  whence  they  came.  The  Admiral 
approached  the  shore,  having  gone  over  twenty-eight  miles 
E.  S.  E.  that  night.  He  steered  S.  .  .  .  miles  to  the 
land,  where  he  saw  many  islets  and  openings.  As  the  wind 


140 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


was  high  and  the  sea  rough,  he  did  not  dare  to  risk  an  at 
tempt  to  enter,  but  ran  along  the  coast  W.  N.  W.,  looking 
out  for  a  port,  and  saw  many,  but  none  very  clear  of  rocks. 
After  having  proceeded  for  sixty-four  miles,  he  found  a  very 
deep  opening,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  with  a  good  port  and 
river.  He  ran  in  with  her  head  S.  S.  W.,  afterwards  S.  to 
S.  E.  The  port  was  spacious  and  very  deep,  and  he  saw  so 
many  islands  that  he  could  not  count  them  all,  with  very 
high  land  covered  with  trees  of  many  kinds,  and  an  infinite 
number  of  palms.  He  was  much  astonished  to  see  so  many 
lofty  islands;  and  assured  the  Sovereigns  that  the  moun 
tains  and  isles  he  had  seen  since  yesterday  seemed  to  him  to 
be  second  to  none  in  the  world;  so  high  and  clear  of  clouds 
and  snow,  with  the  sea  at  their  bases  so  deep.  He  believes 
that  these  islands  are  those  innumerable  ones  that  are  de 
picted  on  the  maps  of  the  world  in  the  Far  East.  He 
believed  that  they  yielded  very  great  riches  in  precious 
stones  and  spices,  and  that  they  extend  much  further  to  the 
south,  widening  out  in  all  directions.  He  gave  the  name 
of  La  Mar  de  Nuestra  Senora,  and  to  the  haven,  which  is 
near  the  mouth  of  the  entrance  to  these  islands,  Puerto  del 
Principe.  He  did  not  enter  it,  but  examined  it  from  out 
side,  until  another  time,  on  Saturday  of  the  next  week,  as 
will  there  appear.  He  speaks  highly  of  the .  fertility,  beauty, 
and  height  of  the  islands  which  he  found  in  this  gulf,  and 
he  tells  the  Sovereigns  not  to  wonder  at  his  praise  of  them, 
for  that  he  has  not  told  them  the  hundredth  part.  Some 
of  them  seemed  to  reach  to  heaven,  running  up  into  peaks 
like  diamonds.  Others  have  a  flat  top  like  a  table.  At 
their  bases  the  sea  is  of  a  great  depth,  with  enough  water 
for  a  very  large  carrack.  All  are  covered  with  foliage  and 
without  rocks. 

Thursday,  I5th  of  November. 

The  Admiral  went  to  examine  these  islands  in  the  ships' 
boats  and  speaks  marvels  of  them,  how  he  found  mastick, 
and  aloes  without  end.  Some  of  them  were  cultivated  with 


EXPLORATION  141 

the  roots  of  which  the  Indians  make  bread ;  and  he  found 
that  fires  had  been  lighted  in  several  places.  He  saw  no 
fresh  water.  There  were  some  natives,  but  they  fled.  In 
all  parts  of  the  sea  where  the  vessels  were  navigated  he 
found  a  depth  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  fathoms,  and  all  basa, 
by  which  he  means  that  the  ground  is  sand,  and  not  rocks  j 
a  thing  much  desired  by  sailors,  for  the  rocks  cut  their 
anchor  cables. 

Friday,  i6th  of  November. 

As  in  all  parts,  whether  islands  or  mainlands,  that  he 
visited,  the  Admiral  always  left  a  cross;  so,  on  this  occa 
sion,  he  went  in  a  boat  to  the  entrance  of  these  havens,  and 
found  two  very  large  trees  on  a  point  of  land,  one  longer 
than  the  other.  One  being  placed  over  the  other,  made  a 
cross,  and  he  said  that  a  carpenter  could  not  have  made  it 
better.  He  ordered  a  very  large  and  high  cross  to  be  made 
out  of  these  timbers.  He  found  canes  on  the  beach,  and 
did  not  know  where  they  had  growrn,  but  thought  they  must 
have  been  brought  down  by  some  river,  and  washed  up  on 
the  beach  [in  which  opinion  he  had  reason] .  He  went 
to  a  creek  on  the  S.  E.  side  of  the  entrance  of  the  port. 
Here,  under  a  height  of  rock  and  stone  like  a  cape,  there 
was  depth  enough  for  the  largest  carrack  in  the  world  close 
in  shore,  and  there  was  a  corner  where  six  ships  might  lie 
without  anchors  as  in  a  room.  It  seemed  to  the  Admiral 
that  a  fortress  might  be  built  here  at  small  cost,  if  at  any 
time  any  famous  trade  should  arise  in  that  sea  of  islands. 

Returning  to  the  ship,  he  found  that  the  Indians  who 
were  on  board  had  fished  up  very  large  shells  found  in  those 
seas.  He  made  the  people  examine  them,  to  see  if  there 
was  mother-o'-pearl,  which  is  in  the  shells  where  pearls 
grow.  They  found  a  great  deal,  but  no  pearls,  and  their 
absence  was  attributed  to  its  not  being  the  season,  which  is 
May  and  June.  The  sailors  found  an  animal  which  seemed 
to  be  a  taso,  or  taxo.  They  also  fished  with  nets,  and, 
among  many  others,  caught  a  fish  which  was  exactly  like  a 


142 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


pig,  not  like  a  tunny,  but  all  covered  with  a  very  hard  shell, 
without  a  soft  place  except  the  eyes.  It  was  ordered  to  be 
salted,  to  bring  home  for  the  Sovereigns  to  see. 

Saturday,  i;th  of  November. 

The  Admiral  got  into  the  boat,  and  went  to  visit  the 
islands  he  had  not  yet  seen  to  the  S.  W.  He  saw  many 
more  very  fertile  and  pleasant  islands,  with  a  great  depth 
between  them.  Some  of  them  had  springs  of  fresh  water, 
and  he  believed  that  the  water  of  those  streams  came  from 
some  sources  at  the  summits  of  the  mountains.  He  went 
on,  and  found  a  beach  bordering  on  very  sweet  water, 
which  was  very  cold.  There  was  a  beautiful  meadow  and 
many  very  tall  palms.  They  found  a  large  nut  of  the  kind 
belonging  to  India,  great  rats,  and  enormous  crabs.  He 
saw  many  birds,  and  there  was  a  strong  smell  of  musk, 
which  made  him  think  it  must  be  there.  This  day  the 
two  eldest  of  the  six  youths  brought  from  the  Rio  de  Mares, 
who  were  on  board  the  caravel  Nina,  made  their  escape. 

Sunday,  i8th  of  November. 

The  Admiral  again  went  away  with  the  boats,  accom 
panied  by  many  of  the  sailors,  to  set  up  the  cross  which  he 
had  ordered  to  be  made  out  of  the  two  large  trees  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Puerto  del  Principe,  on  a  fair  site  cleared 
of  trees,  whence  there  was  an  extensive  and  very  beautiful 
view.  He  says  that  there  is  a  greater  rise  and  fall  there 
than  in  any  other  port  he  has  seen,  and  that  this  is  no 
marvel,  considering  the  numerous  islands.  The  tide  is  the 
reverse  of  ours,  because  here,  when  the  moon  is  S.  S.  W., 
it  is  low  water  in  the  port.  He  did  not  get  under  weigh, 
because  it  was  Sunday. 


Monday,  iQth  of  November. 

The  Admiral  got  under  weigh  before  sunrise,  in  a  calm. 
In  the  afternoon  there  was  some  wind  from  the  E.,  and  he 
shaped  a  N.  N.  E.  course.  At  sunset  the  Puerto  del  Principe 


EXPLORATION 

bore  S.  S.  W.  seven  leagues.  He  saw  the  island  of  Babeque 
bearing  due  E.  about  sixty  miles.  He  steered  N.  E.  all  that 
night,  making  sixty  miles,  and  up  to  ten  o'clock  of  Tuesday 
another  dozen;  altogether  eighteen  leagues  N.  E.  by  W. 

Tuesday,  2Oth  of  November. 

They  left  Babeque,  or  the  islands  of  Babeque,  to  the 
E.  S.  E.,  the  wind  being  contrary;  and,  seeing  that  no 
progress  was  being  made,  and  the  sea  was  getting  rough, 
the  Admiral  determined  to  return  to  the  Puerto  del  Principe, 
whence  he  had  started,  which  was  twenty-five  leagues  dis 
tant.  He  did  not  wish  to  go  to  the  island  he  had  called 
Isabella,  which  was  twelve  leagues  off,  and  where  he  might 
have  anchored  that  night,  for  two  reasons :  one  was  that  he 
had  seen  two  islands  to  the  S.  which  he  wished  to  explore; 
the  other,  because  the  Indians  he  brought  with  him,  whom 
he  had  taken  at  the  island  of  Guanahani,  which  he  named 
San  Salvador,  eight  leagues  from  Isabella,  might  get  away, 
and  he  said  that  he  wanted  them  to  take  to  Spain.  They 
thought  that,  when  the  Admiral  had  found  gold,  he  would 
let  them  return  to  their  homes.  He  came  near  the  Puerto  del 
Principe,  but  could  not  reach  it,  because  it  was  night,  and 
because  the  current  drifted  them  to  the  N.  W.  He  turned 
her  head  to  N.  E.  with  a  light  wind.  At  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  the  wind  changed,  and  a  course  was  shaped 
E.  N.  E.,  the  wind  being  S.  S.  W.,  and  changing  at  dawn 
to  S.  and  S.  E.  At  sunset  the  Puerto  del  Principe  bore 
nearly  S.  W.  by  W.  forty-eight  miles,  which  are  twelve 
leagues. 

Wednesday,  2ist  of  November. 

At  sunrise  the  Admiral  steered  E.,  with  a  southerly  wind, 
but  made  little  progress,  owing  to  a  contrary  sea.  At  ves 
pers  he  had  gone  twenty-four  miles.  Afterwards  the  wind 
changed  to  E.,  and  he  steered  S.  by  E.,  at  sunset  having 
gone  twelve  miles.  Here  he  found  himself  forty-two  degrees 
N.  of  the  equinoctial  line,  as  in  the  port  of  Mares,  but  he 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

says  that  he  kept  the  result  from  the  quadrant  in  suspense 
until  he  reached  the  shore,  that  it  might  be  adjusted  [as  it 
would  seem  that  he  thought  this  distance  was  too  great,  and 
he  had  reason,  it  not  being  possible,  as  these  islands  are 
only  in  ...  degrees] . 

This  day  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  parted  company  with 
the  caravel  Pinta,  in  disobedience  to  and  against  the 
wish  of  the  Admiral,  and  out  of  avarice,  thinking  that  an 
Indian  who  had  been  put  on  board  his  caravel  could  show 
him  where  there  was  much  gold.  So  he  parted  company, 
not  owing  to  bad  weather,  but  because  he  chose.  Here  the 
Admiral  says :  "  He  had  done  and  said  many  other  things 
to  me." 

Thursday,  22nd  of  November. 

On  Wednesday  night  the  Admiral  steered  S.  S.  E.,  writh 
the  wind  E.,  but  it  was  nearly  calm.  At  three  it  began  to 
blow  from  N.  N.  E.;  and  he  continued  to  steer  S.  to  see 
the  land  he  had  seen  in  that  quarter.  When  the  sun  rose 
he  was  as  far  off  as  the  day  before,  owing  to  adverse  cur 
rents,  the  land  being  forty  miles  off.  This  night  Martin 
Alonso  shaped  a  course  to  the  E.,  to  go  to  the  island  of 
Babeque,  where  the  Indians  say  there  is  much  gold.  He 
did  this  in  sight  of  the  Admiral,  from  whom  he  was  distant 
sixteen  miles.  The  Admiral  stood  towards  the  land  all 
night.  He  shortened  sail,  and  showed  a  lantern,  because 
Pinzon  would  thus  have  an  opportunity  of  joining  him,  the 
night  being  very  clear,  and  the  wind  fair  to  come,  if  he 
had  wished  to  do  so. 

Friday,  23rd  of  November. 

The  Admiral  stood  towards  the  land  all  day,  always 
steering  S.  with  little  wind,  but  the  current  would  never 
let  them  reach  it,  being  as  far  off  at  sunset  as  in  the  morn 
ing.  The  wind  was  E.  N.  E.,  and  they  could  shape  a 
southerly  course,  but  there  was  little  of  it.  Beyond  this 
cape  there  stretched  out  another  land  or  cape,  also  trending 


EXPLORATION 

E.,  which  the  Indians  on  board  called  Bohio.  They  said 
that  it  was  very  large,  and  that  there  were  people  in  it  who 
had  one  eye  in  their  foreheads,  and  others  who  were  canni 
bals,  and  of  whom  they  were  much  afraid.  When  they 
saw  that  this  course  was  taken,  they  said  that  they  could 
not  talk  to  these  people,  because  they  would  be  eaten,  and 
that  they  were  very  well  armed.  The  Admiral  says  that 
he  well  believes  that  there  were  such  people,  and  that  if 
they  are  armed  they  must  have  some  ability.  He  thought 
that  they  may  have  captured  some  of  the  Indians,  and 
because  they  did  not  return  to  their  homes  the  others 
believed  that  they  had  been  eaten.  They  thought  the  same 
of  the  Christians  and  of  the  Admiral  when  some  of  them 
first  saw  the  strangers. 

Saturday,  24th  of  November. 

They  navigated  all  night,  and  at  three  they  reached  the 
island  at  the  very  same  point  they  had  come  to  the  week 
before,  when  they  started  for  the  island  of  Babeque.  At 
first  the  Admiral  did  not  dare  to  approach  the  shore,  because 
it  seemed  that  there  would  be  a  great  surf  in  that  mountain- 
girded  bay.  Finally  he  reached  the  sea  of  Nuestra  Senora, 
where  there  are  many  islands,  and  entered  a  port  near  the 
mouth  of  the  opening  to  the  islands.  He  says  that  if  he 
had  known  of  this  port  before  he  need  not  have  occupied 
himself  in  exploring  the  islands,  and  it  would  not  have 
been  necessary  to  go  back.  He,  however,  considered  that 
the  time  was  well  spent  in  examining  the  islands.  On 
nearing  the  land  he  sent  in  the  boat  to  sound;  finding  a 
good  sandy  bottom  in  six  to  twenty  fathoms.  He  entered 
the  haven,  pointing  the  ship's  head  S.  W.  and  then  W.,  the 
flat  island  bearing  N.  This,  with  another  island  near  it, 
forms  a  harbor  which  would  hold  all  the  ships  of  Spain 
safe  from  all  winds.  This  entrance  on  the  S.  W.  side  is 
passed  by  steering  S.  S.  W.,  the  outlet  being  to  the  W. 
very  deep  and  wide.  Thus  a  vessel  can  pass  amidst  these 
islands,  and  he  who  approaches  from  the  N.,  with  a 


146  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

knowledge  of  them,  can  pass  along  the  coast.  These 
islands  are  at  the  foot  of  a  great  mountain  chain  running 
E.  and  W.,  which  is  longer  and  higher  than  any  others 
on  this  coast,  where  there  are  many.  A  reef  of  rocks  out 
side  runs  parallel  with  the  said  mountains,  like  a  bench, 
extending  to  the  entrance.  On  the  side  of  the  flat  island, 
and  also  to  the  S.  E.,  there  is  another  small  reef,  but  be 
tween  them  there  is  great  width  and  depth.  Within  the 
port,  near  the  S.  E.  side  of  the  entrance,  they  saw  a  large 
and  very  fine  river,  with  more  volume  than  any  they  had 
yet  met  with,  and  fresh  water  could  be  taken  from  it  as  far 
as  the  sea.  At  the  entrance  there  is  a  bar,  but  within  it  is 
very  deep,  nineteen  fathoms.  The  banks  are  lined  with 
palms  and  many  other  trees. 

Sunday,  25th  of  November. 

Before  sunrise  the  Admiral  got  into  the  boat,  and  went 
to  see  a  cape  or  point  of  land  to  the  S.  E.  of  the  flat  island, 
about  a  league  and  a  half  distant,  because  there  appeared  to  be 
a  good  river  there.  Presently,  near  to  the  S.  E.  side  of  the 
cape,  at  a  distance  of  two  crossbow-shots,  he  saw  a  large 
stream  of  beautiful  water  falling  from  the  mountains  above, 
with  a  loud  noise.  He  went  to  it,  and  saw  some  stones 
shining  in  its  bed  like  gold.  He  remembered  that  in  the  river 
Tejo,  near  its  junction  with  the  sea,  there  was  gold;  so  it 
seemed  to  him  that  this  should  contain  gold,  and  he  ordered 
some  of  these  stones  to  be  collected,  to  be  brought  to  the 
Sovereigns.  Just  then  the  sailor  boys  called  out  that  they 
had  found  large  pines.  The  Admiral  looked  up  the  hill,  and 
saw  that  they  were  so  wonderfully  large  that  he  could  not 
exaggerate  their  height  and  straightness,  like  stout  yet  fine 
spindles.  He  perceived  that  here  there  was  material  for 
great  store  of  planks  and  masts  for  the  largest  ships  in  Spain. 
He  saw  oaks  and  arbutus  trees,  with  a  good  river,  and  the 
means  of  making  water  power.  The  climate  was  temper 
ate,  owing  to  the  height  of  the  mountains.  On  the  beach 
he  saw  many  other  stones  of  the  color  of  iron,  and  others 


EXPLORATION 

that  some  said  were  like  silver  ore,  all  brought  down  by  the 
river.  Here  he  obtained  a  new  mast  and  yard  for  the  mizzen 
of  the  caravel  Nina.  He  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
and  entered  a  creek  which  was  deep  and  wide,  at  the 
foot  of  that  S.  E.  part  of  the  cape,  which  would  accom 
modate  a  hundred  ships  without  any  anchor  or  hawser. 
Eyes  never  beheld  a  better  harbor.  The  mountains  are 
very  high,  whence  descend  many  limpid  streams,  and  all 
the  hills  are  covered  with  pines,  and  an  infinity  of  diverse 
and  beautiful  trees.  Two  or  three  other  rivers  were  not 
visited. 

The  Admiral  described  all  this,  in  much  detail,  to  the 
Sovereigns,  and  declared  that  he  had  derived  unspeakable 
joy  and  pleasure  at  seeing  it,  more  especially  the  pines, 
because  they  enable  as  many  ships  as  is  desired  to  be  built 
here,  bringing  out  the  rigging,  but  finding  here  abundant 
supplies  of  wood  and  provisions.  He  affirms  that  he  has 
not  enumerated  a  hundredth  part  of  what  there  is  here,  and 
that  it  pleased  our  Lord  always  to  show  him  one  thing 
better  than  another,  as  well  on  the  ground  and  among  the 
trees,  herbs,  fruits,  and  flowers,  as  in  the  people,  and  always 
something  different  in  each  place.  It  had  been  the  same  as 
regards  the  havens  and  the  waters.  Finally,  he  says  that 
if  it  caused  him  who  saw  it  so  much  wonder,  how  much 
more  will  it  affect  those  who  hear  about  it;  yet  no  one  can 
believe  until- he  sees  it. 

Monday,  26th  of  November. 

At  sunrise  the  Admiral  weighed  the  anchors  in  the  haven 
of  Santa  Catallna,  where  he  was  behind  the  flat  island,  and 
steered  along  the  coast  in  the  direction  of  Cabo  del  Pico,  which 
was  S.  E.  He  reached  the  cape  late,  because  the  wind  failed, 
and  then  saw  another  cape,  S.  E.  by  E.  sixty  miles,  which, 
when  twenty  miles  off,  was  named  Cabo  de  Campana,  but  it 
could  not  be  reached  that  day.  They  made  good  thirty- 
two  miles  during  the  day,  which  is  eight  leagues.  During 
this  time  the  Admiral  noted  nine  remarkable  ports,  which  all 


148  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  sailors  thought  wonderfully  good,  and  five  large  rivers; 
for  they  sailed  close  along  the  land,  so  as  to  see  everything. 
All  along  the  coast  there  are  very  high  and  beautiful  moun 
tains,  not  arid  or  rocky,  but  all  accessible,  and  very  lovely. 
The  valleys,  like  the  mountains,  were  full  of  tall  and  fine 
trees,  so  that  it  was  a  glory  to  look  upon  them,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  many  pines.  Also,  beyond  the  said  Cabo  del 
Pico  to  the  S.  E.  there  are  two  islets,  each  about  two  leagues 
round,  and  inside  them  three  excellent  havens  and  two  large 
rivers.  Along  the  whole  coast  no  inhabited  places  were 
visible  from  the  sea.  There  may  have  been  some,  and 
there  were  indications  of  them,  for,  when  the  men  landed, 
they  found  signs  of  people  and  numerous  remains  of  fires. 
The  Admiral  conjectured  that  the  land  he  saw  to-day  S.  E. 
of  the  Cabo  de  Campana  was  the  island  called  by  the  Indians 
Bohio:  it  looked  as  if  this  cape  was  separated  from  the 
mainland.  The  Admiral  says  that  all  the  people  he  has 
hitherto  met  with  have  very  great  fear  of  those  of  Canlba 
or  Gamma.  They  affirm  that  they  live  in  the  island  of 
Bohio,  which  must  be  very  large,  according  to  all  accounts. 
The  Admiral  understood  that  those  of  Caniba  come  to  take 
people  from  their  homes,  they  being  very  cowardly,  and 
without  knowledge  of  arms.  For  this  cause  it  appears  that 
these  Indians  do  not  settle  on  the  seacoast,  owing  to  being 
near  the  land  of  Caniba.  When  the  natives  who  were  on 
board  saw  a  course  shaped  for  that  land,  they  feared  to  speak, 
thinking  they  were  going  to  be  eaten ;  nor  could  they  rid 
themselves  of  their  fear.  They  declared  that  the  Canibas 
had  only  one  eye  and  dogs'  faces.  The  Admiral  thought  they 
lied,  and  was  inclined  to  believe  that  it  was  people  from  the 
dominions  of  the  Gran  Can  who  took  them  into  captivity. 

Tuesday,  2jth  of  November. 

Yesterday,  at  sunset,  they  arrived  near  a  cape  named 
Campana  by  the  Admiral;  and  as  the  sky  was  clear  and 
the  wind  light,  he  did  not  wish  to  run  in  close  to  the  land 
and  anchor,  although  he  had  five  or  six  singularly  good 


EXPLORATION  149 

havens  under  his  lee.  The  Admiral  was  attracted  on  the 
one  hand  by  the  longing  and  delight  he  felt  to  gaze  upon 
the  beauty  and  freshness  of  those  lands,  and  on  the  other 
by  a  desire  to  complete  the  work  he  had  undertaken.  For 
these  reasons  he  remained  close  hauled,  and  stood  off  and 
on  during  the  night.  But,  as  the  currents  had  set  him  more 
than  five  or  six  leagues  to  the  S.  E.  beyond  where  he  had 
been  at  nightfall,  passing  the  land  of  Campana,  he  came  in 
sight  of  a  great  opening  beyond  that  cape,  which  seemed  to 
divide  one  land  from  another,  leaving  an  island  between 
them.  He  decided  to  go  back,  with  the  wind  S.  E.,  steer 
ing  to  the  point  where  the  opening  had  appeared,  where  he 
found  that  it  was  only  a  large  bay;  and  at  the  end  of  it, 
on  the  S.  E.  side,  there  was  a  point  of  land  on  which  was 
a  high  and  square-cut  hill,  which  had  looked  like  an  island. 
A  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  N.,  and  the  Admiral  con 
tinued  on  a  S.  E.  course,  to  explore  the  coast  and  discover 
all  that  was  there.  Presently  he  saw,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Cabo  de  Campana,  a  wonderfully  good  port,  and  a  large 
river,  and,  a  quarter  of  a  league  on,  another  river,  and  a 
third,  and  a  fourth  to  a  seventh  at  similar  distances,  from  the 
furthest  one  to  Cabo  de  Campana  being  twenty  miles  S.  E. 
Most  of  these  rivers  have  wide  and  deep  mouths,  with  ex 
cellent  havens  for  large  ships,  without  sandbanks  or  sunken 
rocks.  Proceeding  onwards  from  the  last  of  these  rivers, 
on  a  S.  E.  course,  they  came  to  the  largest  inhabited  place 
they  had  yet  seen,  and  a  vast  concourse  of  people  came 
down  to  the  beach  with  loud  shouts,  all  naked,  with  their 
darts  in  their  hands.  The  Admiral  desired  to  have  speech 
with  them,  so  he  furled  sails  and  anchored.  The  boats  of 
the  ship  and  the  caravel  were  sent  on  shore,  with  orders 
to  do  no  harm  whatever  to  the  Indians,  but  to  give  them 
presents.  The  Indians  made  as  if  they  would  resist  the 
landing,  but,  seeing  that  the  boats  of  the  Spaniards  con 
tinued  to  advance  without  fear,  they  retired  from  the  beach. 
Thinking  that  they  would  not  be  terrified  if  only  two  or 
three  landed,  three  Christians  were  put  on  shore,  who  told 


I50  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

them  not  to  be  afraid,  in  their  own  language,  for  they  had 
been  able  to  learn  a  little  from  the  natives  who  were  on 
board.  But  all  ran  away,  neither  great  nor  small  remain 
ing.  The  Christians  went  to  the  houses,  which  were  of 
straw,  and  built  like  the  others  they  had  seen,  but  found  no 
one  in  any  of  them.  They  returned  to  the  ships,  and  made 
sail  at  noon  in  the  direction  of  a  fine  cape  to  the  east 
ward,  about  eight  leagues  distant.  Having  gone  about  half 
a  league,  the  Admiral  saw,  on  the  S.  side  of  the  same  bay,  a 
very  remarkable  harbor,  and  to  the  S.  E.  some  wonderfully 
beautiful  country  like  a  valley  among  the  mountains,  whence 
much  smoke  arose,  indicating  a  large  population,  with  signs 
of  much  cultivation.  So  he  resolved  to  stop  at  this  port, 
and  see  if  he  could  have  any  speech  or  intercourse  with  the 
inhabitants.  It  was  so  that,  if  the  Admiral  had  praised 
the  other  havens,  he  must  praise  this  still  more  for  its  lands, 
climate,  and  people.  He  tells  marvels  of  the  beauty  of  the 
country  and  of  the  trees,  there  being  palms  and  pine  trees; 
and  also  of  the  great  valley,  which  is  not  flat,  but  diversified 
by  hill  and  dale,  the  most  lovely  scene  in  the  world.  Many 
streams  flow  from  it,  which  fall  from  the  mountains. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  was  at  anchor  the  Admiral  jumped 
into  the  boat,  to  get  soundings  in  the  port,  which  is  the 
shape  of  a  hammer.  When  he  was  facing  the  entrance  he 
found  the  mouth  of  a  river  on  the  south  side  of  sufficient 
width  for  a  galley  to  enter  it,  but  so  concealed  that  it  is  not 
visible  until  close  to.  Entering  it  for  the  length  of  the  boat, 
there  was  a  depth  of  from  five  to  eight  fathoms.  In  passing 
up  it  the  freshness  and  beauty  of  the  trees,  the  clearness 
of  the  water,  and  the  birds,  made  it  all  so  delightful  that 
he  wished  never  to  leave  them.  He  said  to  the  men  who 
were  with  him  that  §to  give  a  true  relation  to  the  Sovereigns 
of  the  things  they  had  seen,  a  thousand  tongues  would  not 
suffice,  nor  his  hand  to  write  it,  for  that  it  was  like  a  scene 
of  enchantment.  He  desired  that  many  other  prudent  and 
credible  witnesses  might  see  it,  and  he  was  sure  that  they 
would  be  as  unable  to  exaggerate  the  scene  as  he  was. 


EXPLORATION  151 

The  Admiral  also  says :  "  How  great  the  benefit  that  is 
to  be  derived  from  this  country  would  be,  I  cannot  say.  It 
is  certain  that  where  there  are  such  lands  there  must  be  an 
infinite  number  of  things  that  would  be  profitable.  But  I 
did  not  remain  long  in  one  port,  because  I  wished  to  see  as 
much  of  the  country  as  possible,  in  order  to  make  a  report 
upon  it  to  your  Highnesses;  and  besides,  I  do  not  know 
the  language,  and  these  people  neither  understand  me  nor 
any  other  in  my  company;  while  the  Indians  I  have  on 
board  often  misunderstand.  Moreover,  I  have  not  been 
able  to  see  much  of  the  natives,  because  they  often  take  to 
flight.  But  now,  if  our  Lord  pleases,  I  will  see  as  much 
as  possible,  and  will  proceed  by  little  and  little,  learning  and 
comprehending;  and  I  will  make  some  of  my  followers 
learn  the  language.  For  I  have  perceived  that  there  is  only 
one  language  up  to  this  point.  After  they  understand  the 
advantages,  I  shall  labor  to  make  all  these  people  Chris 
tians.  They  will  become  so  readily,  because  they  have  no 
religion  nor  idolatry,  and  your  Highnesses  will  send  orders 
to  build  a  city  and  fortress,  and  to  convert  the  people.  I 
assure  your  Highnesses  that  it  does  not  appear  to  me  that 
there  can  be  a  more  fertile  country  nor  a  better  climate 
under  the  sun,  with  abundant  supplies  of  water.  This  is 
not  like  the  rivers  of  Guinea,  which  are  all  pestilential.  I 
thank  our  Lord  that,  up  to  this  time,  there  has  not  been  a 
person  of  my  company  who  has  so  much  as  had  a  headache, 
or  been  in  bed  from  illness,  except  an  old  man  who  has 
suffered  from  the  stone  all  his  life,  and  he  was  well  again  in 
two  days.  I  speak  of  all  three  vessels.  If  it  will  please 
God  that  your  Highnesses  should  send  learned  men  out 
here,  they  will  see  the  truth  of  all  I  have  said.  I  have  re 
lated  already  how  good  a  place  Rio  de  Mares  would  be  for 
a  town  and  fortress,  and  this  is  perfectly  true;  but  it  bears 
no  comparison  with  this  place,  nor  with  the  Mar  de  Nues- 
tra  Senora.  For  here  there  must  be  a  large  population,  and 
very  valuable  productions,  which  I  hope  to  discover  before 
I  return  to  Castille.  I  say  that  if  Christendom  will  find 


152 


DISCO  VER  T  AND  EX  PL  OR  A  TION 


profit  among  these  people,  how  much  more  will  Spain,  to 
whom  the  whole  country  should  be  subject.  Your  High 
nesses  ought  not  to  consent  that  any  stranger  should  trade 
here,  or  put  his  foot  in  the  country,  except  Catholic  Chris 
tians,  for  this  was  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  undertaking; 
namely,  the  increase  and  glory  of  the  Christian  religion, 
and  that  no  one  should  come  to  these  parts  who  was  not  a 
good  Christian." 

All  the  above  are  the  Admiral's  words.  He  ascended 
the  river  for  some  distance,  examined  some  branches  of  it, 
and,  returning  to  the  mouth,  he  found  some  pleasant  groves 
of  trees,  like  a  delightful  orchard.  Here  he  came  upon  a 
canoe,  dug  out  of  one  tree,  as  big  as  a  galley  of  twelve 
benches,  fastened  under  a  boat  house  made  of  wood,  and 
thatched  with  palm  leaves,  so  that  it  could  neither  be  injured 
by  the  sun  nor  by  the  water.  He  says  that  here  would  be 
the  proper  site  for  a  town  and  fort,  by  reason  of  the  good 
port,  good  water,  good  land,  and  abundance  of  fuel. 

Wednesday,  28th  of  November. 

The  Admiral  remained  during  this  day,  in  consequence 
of  the  rain  and  thick  weather,  though  he  might  have  run 
along  the  coast,  the  wind  being  S.  W.,  but  he  did  not 
weigh,  because  he  was  unacquainted  with  the  coast  beyond, 
and  did  not  know  what  danger  there  might  be  for  the  ves 
sels.  The  sailors  of  the  two  vessels  went  on  shore  to  wash 
their  clothes,  and  some  of  them  walked  inland  for  a  short 
distance.  They  found  indications  of  a  large  population, 
but  the  houses  were  all  empty,  everyone  having  fled.  They 
returned  by  the  banks  of  another  river,  larger  than  that 
which  they  knew  of,  at  the  port. 

Thursday,  2Qth  of  November. 

The  rain  and  thick  weather  continuing,  the  Admiral  did 
not  get  under  weigh.  Some  of  the  Christians  went  to 
another  village  to  the  N.  W.,  but  found  no  one,  and  noth 
ing  in  the  houses.  On  the  road  they  met  an  old  man  who 


EXPLORATION 

could  not  run  away,  and  caught  him.  They  told  him  that 
they  did  not  wish  to  do  him  any  harm,  gave  him  a  few 
presents,  and  let  him  go.  The  Admiral  would  have  liked 
to  have  speech  with  him,  for  he  was  exceedingly  satisfied 
with  the  delights  of  that  land,  and  wished  that  a  settle 
ment  might  be  formed  there,  judging  that  it  must  support  a 
large  population.  In  one  house  they  found  a  cake  of  wax, 
which  was  taken  to  the  Sovereigns,  the  Admiral  saying  that 
where  there  was  wax,  there  were  also  a  thousand  other 
good  things.  The  sailors  also  found,  in  one  house,  the 
head  of  a  man  in  a  basket,  covered  with  another  basket, 
and  fastened  to  a  post  of  the  house.  They  found  the  same 
things  in  another  village.  The  Admiral  believed  that  they 
must  be  the  heads  of  some  founder,  or  principal  ancestor 
of  a  lineage,  for  the  houses  are  built  to  contain  a  great  num 
ber  of  people  in  each ;  and  these  should  be  relations,  and 
descendants  of  a  common  ancestor. 

Friday,  3Oth  of  November. 

They  could  not  get  under  weigh  to-day  because  the  wind 
was  E.,  and  dead  against  them.  The  Admiral  sent  eight 
men  well  armed,  accompanied  by  two  of  the  Indians  he  had 
on  board,  to  examine  the  villages  inland,  and  get  speech 
with  the  people.  They  came  to  many  houses,  but  found 
no  one  and  nothing,  all  having  fled.  They  saw  four  youths 
who  were  digging  in  their  fields,  but,  as  soon  as  they  saw 
the  Christians,  they  ran  away,  and  could  not  be  overtaken. 
They  marched  a  long  distance,  and  saw  many  villages  and  a 
most  fertile  land,  with  much  cultivation  and  many  streams  of 
water.  Near  one  river  they  saw  a  canoe  dug  out  of  a  single 
tree  ninety-five  palmos  long,  and  capable  of  carrying  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons. 

Saturday,  ist  of  December. 

They  did  not  depart,  because  there  was  still  a  foul  wind, 
with  much  rain.  The  Admiral  set  up  a  cross  at  the  en 
trance  of  this  port,  which  he  called  Puerto  Santo,  on  some 


154 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


bare  rocks.  The  point  is  that  which  is  on  the  S.  E.  side 
of  the  entrance;  but  he  who  has  to  enter  should  make 
more  over  to  the  N.  W. ;  for  at  the  foot  of  both,  near  the 
rock,  there  are  twelve  fathoms  and  a  very  clean  bottom.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  port,  towards  the  S.  E.  point,  there  is  a 
reef  of  rocks  above  the  water,  sufficiently  far  from  the  shore 
to  be  able  to  pass  between  if  it  is  necessary;  for  both  on 
the  side  of  the  rock  and  the  shore  there  is  a  depth  of  twelve 
to  fifteen  fathoms;  and,  on  entering,  a  ship's  head  should 
be  turned  S.  W. 

Sunday,  2nd  of  December. 

The  wind  was  still  contrary,  and  they  could  not  depart. 
Every  night  the  wind  blows  on  the  land,  but  no  vessel  need 
be  alarmed  at  all  the  gales  in  the  world,  for  they  cannot 
blow  home  by  reason  of  a  reef  of  rocks  at  the  opening  to 
the  haven.  A  sailor  boy  found,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
some  stones  which  looked  as  if  they  contained  gold;  so 
they  were  taken  to  be  shown  to  the  Sovereigns.  The 
Admiral  says  that  there  are  great  rivers  at  the  distance  of  a 
lombard-shot. 

Monday,  3rd  of  December. 

By  reason  of  the  continuance  of  an  easterly  wind  the 
Admiral  did  not  leave  this  port.  He  arranged  to  visit  a 
very  beautiful  headland  a  quarter  of  a  league  to  the  S.  E. 
of  the  anchorage.  He  went  with  the  boats  and  some  armed 
*Vnen.  At  the  foot  of  the  cape  there  was  the  mouth  of  a 
fair  river,  and  on  entering  it  they  found  the  width  to  be 
a  hundred  paces,  with  a  depth  of  one  fathom.  Inside  they 
found  twelve,  five,  four,  and  two  fathoms,  so  that  it  would 
hold  all  the  ships  there  are  in  Spain.  Leaving  the  river,  they 
came  to  a  cove  in  which  were  five  very  large  canoes,  so  well 
constructed  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  look  at  them.  They 
were  under  spreading  trees,  and  a  path  led  from  them  to 
a  very  well  built  boat  house,  so  thatched  that  neither  sun 
nor  rain  could  do  any  harm.  Within  it  there  was  another 


EXPLORATION  155 

canoe  made  out  of  a  single  tree  like  the  others,  like  a  galley 
with  seventeen  benches.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  look 
upon  such  goodly  work.  The  Admiral  ascended  a  mountain, 
and  afterwards  found  the  country  level,  and  cultivated  with 
many  things  of  that  land,  including  such  calabashes  as  it 
was  a  glory  to  look  upon  them.  In  the  middle  there  was 
a  large  village,  and  they  came  upon  the  people  suddenly; 
but,  as  soon  as  they  were  seen,  men  and  women  took  to 
flight.  The  Indian  from  on  board,  who  was  with  the 
Admiral,  cried  out  to  them  that  they  need  not  be  afraid,  as 
the  strangers  were  good  people.  The  Admiral  made  him 
give  them  bells,  copper  ornaments,  and  glass  beads,  green 
and  yellow,  with  which  they  were  well  content.  He  saw 
that  they  had  no  gold  nor  any  other  precious  thing,  and  that 
it  would  suffice  to  leave  them  in  peace.  The  whole  district 
was  well  peopled,  the  rest  having  fled  from  fear.  The 
Admiral  assures  the  Sovereigns  that  ten  thousand  of  these 
men  would  run  from  ten,  so  cowardly  and  timid  are  they. 
No  arms  are  carried  by  them,  except  wands,  on  the  point 
of  which  a  short  piece  of  wood  is  fixed,  hardened  by  fire, 
and  these  they  are  very  ready  to  exchange.  Returning  to 
where  he  had  left  the  boats,  he  sent  back  some  men  up  the 
hill,  because  he  fancied  he  had  seen  a  large  apiary.  Before 
those  he  had  sent  could  return,  they  were  joined  by  many 
Indians,  and  they  went  to  the  boats,  where  the  Admiral 
was  waiting  with  all  his  people.  One  of  the  natives  ad 
vanced  into  the  river  near  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  made 
a  long  speech,  which  the  Admiral  did  not  understand.  At 
intervals  the  other  Indians  raised  their  hands  to  heaven, 
and  shouted.  The  Admiral  thought  he  was  assuring  him 
that  he  was  pleased  at  his  arrival;  but  he  saw  the  Indian 
who  came  from  the  ship  change  the  color  of  his  face,  and 
turn  as  yellow  as  wax,  trembling  much,  and  letting  the 
Admiral  know  by  signs  that  he  should  leave  the  river,  as 
they  were  going  to  kill  him.  He  pointed  to  a  crossbow 
which  one  of  the  Spaniards  had,  and  showed  it  to  the 
Indians,  and  the  Admiral  let  it  be  understood  that  they 


156  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

would  all  be  slain,  because  that  crossbow  carried  far  and 
killed  people.  He  also  took  a  sword  and  drew  it  out  of 
the  sheath,  showing  it  to  them,  and  saying  the  same,  which, 
when  they  had  heard,  they  all  took  to  flight;  while  the 
Indian  from  the  ship  trembled  from  cowardice,  though  he 
was  a  tall,  strong  man.  The  Admiral  did  not  want  to 
leave  the  river,  but  pulled  towards  the  place  where  the 
natives  had  assembled  in  great  numbers,  all  painted,  and  as 
naked  as  when  their  mothers  bore  them.  Some  had  tufts 
of  feathers  on  their  heads,  and  all  had  their  bundles  of  darts. 
The  Admiral  says:  "I  came  to  them,  and  gave  them 
some  mouthfuls  of  bread,  asking  for  the  darts,  for  which  I 
gave  in  exchange  copper  ornaments,  bells,  and  glass  beads. 
This  made  them  peaceable,  so  that  they  came  to  the  boats 
again,  and  gave  us  what  they  had.  The  sailors  had  killed 
a  turtle,  and  the  shell  was  in  the  boat  in  pieces.  The 
sailor  boys  gave  them  some  in  exchange  for  a  bundle  of 
darts.  These  are  like  the  other  people  we  have  seen,  and 
with  the  same  belief  that  we  came  from  heaven.  They 
are  ready  to  give  whatever  thing  they  have  in  exchange  for 
any  trifle  without  saying  it  is  a  little;  and  I  believe  they 
would  do  the  same  with  gold  and  spices  if  they  had  any. 
I  saw  a  fine  house,  not  very  large,  and  with  two  doors,  as 
all  the  rest  have.  On  entering,  I  saw  a  marvellous  work, 
there  being  rooms  made  in  a  peculiar  way,  that  I  scarcely 
know  how  to  describe  it.  Shells  and  other  things  were 
fastened  to  the  ceiling.  I  thought  it  was  a  temple,  and 
I  called  them  and  asked,  by  signs,  whether  prayers  were 
offered  up  there.  They  said  that  they  were  not,  and  one 
of  them  climbed  up  and  offered  me  all  the  things  that  were 
there,  of  which  I  took  some." 

Tuesday,  4th  of  December. 

The  Admiral  made  sail  with  little  wind,  and  left  that 
port,  which  he  called  Puerto  Santo.  After  going  two  leagues, 
he  saw  the  great  river  of  which  he  spoke  yesterday.  Pass 
ing  along  the  land,  and  beating  to  windward  on  S.  E.  and 


EXPLORATION  157 

W.  N.  W.  courses,  they  reached  Cabo  Lindo,  which  is 
E.  S.  E.  five  leagues  from  Cabo  del  Monte.  A  league  and  a 
half  from  Cabo  del  Monte  there  is  an  important  but  rather 
narrow  river,  which  seemed  to  have  a  good  entrance,  and 
to  be  deep.  Three-quarters  of  a  league  further  on,  the 
Admiral  saw  another  very  large  river,  and  he  thought  it 
must  have  its  source  at  a  great  distance.  It  had  a  hun 
dred  paces  at  its  mouth,  and  no  bar,  with  a  depth  of  eight 
fathoms.  The  Admiral  sent  the  boat  in,  to  take  soundings, 
and  they  found  the  water  fresh  until  it  enters  the  sea. 

This  river  had  great  volume,  and  must  have  a  large 
population  on  its  banks.  Beyond  Cabo  Lindo  there  is  a 
great  bay,  which  would  be  open  for  navigation  to  E.  N.  E. 
and  S.  E.  and  S.  S.  W. 

Wednesday,  5th  of  December. 

All  this  night  they  were  beating  to  windward  off  Cabo 
Lindo,  to  reach  the  land  to  the  E.,  and  at  sunrise  the 
Admiral  sighted  another  cape,  two  and  a  half  leagues  to 
the  E.  Having  passed  it,  he  saw  that  the  land  trended  S. 
and  S.  W.,  and  presently  saw  a  fine  high  cape  in  that  direc 
tion,  seven  leagues  distant.  He  would  have  wished  to  go 
there,  but  his  object  was  to  reach  the  island  of  Babeque, 
which,  according  to  the  Indians,  bore  N.  E. ;  so  he  gave 
up  the  intention.  He  could  not  go  to  Babeque  either,  because 
the  wind  was  N.  E.  Looking  to  the  S.  E.,  he  saw  land, 
which  was  a  very  large  island,  according  to  the  information 
of  the  Indians,  well  peopled,  and  called  by  them  Bohio. 
The  Admiral  says  that  the  inhabitants  of  Cuba,  or  Juana, 
and  of  all  the  other  islands,  are  much  afraid  of  the  inhabit 
ants  of  Bohio,  because  they  say  that  they  eat  people.  The 
Indians  related  other  things,  by  signs,  which  are  very  won 
derful;  but  the  Admiral  did  not  believe  them.  He  only 
inferred  that  those  of  Bohio  must  have  more  cleverness  and 
cunning  to  be  able  to  capture  the  others,  who,  however,  are 
very  poor-spirited.  The  wind  veered  from  N.  E.  to  N., 
so  the  Admiral  determined  to  leave  Cuba,  or  Juana,  which, 


1 5 g  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORA riON 

up  to  this  time,  he  had  supposed  to  be  the  mainland,  on 
account  of  its  size,  having  coasted  along  it  for  one  hundred 
and  twenty  leagues.  He  shaped  a  course  S.  E.  by  E.,  the 
land  he  had  sighted  bearing  S.  E.;  taking  this  precaution 
because  the  wind  always  veered  from  N.  to  N.  E.  again, 
and  thence  to  E.  and  S.  E.  The  wind  increased,  and  he 
made  all  sail,  the  current  helping  them ;  so  that  they  were 
making  eight  miles  an  hour  from  the  morning  until  one 
in  the  afternoon  [which  is  barely  six  hours,  for  they  say 
that  the  nights  were  nearly  fifteen  hours] .  Afterwards  they 
went  ten  miles  an  hour,  making  good  eighty-eight  miles  by 
sunset,  equal  to  twenty-two  leagues,  all  to  the  S.  E.  As 
night  was  coming  on,  the  Admiral  ordered  the  caravel 
Nina,  being  a  good  sailer,  to  proceed  ahead,  so  as  to  sight 
a  harbor  at  daylight.  Arriving  at  the  entrance  of  a  port 
which  was  like  the  bay  of  Cadiz,  while  it  was  still  dark, 
a  boat  was  sent  in  to  take  soundings,  which  showed  a 
light  from  the  lantern.  Before  the  Admiral  could  beat 
up  to  where  the  caravel  was,  hoping  that  the  boat  would 
show  a  leading  mark  for  entering  the  port,  the  candle  in 
the  lantern  went  out.  The  caravel,  not  seeing  the  light, 
showed  a  light  to  the  Admiral,  and,  running  down  to  him, 
related  what  had  happened.  The  boat's  crew  then  showed 
another  light,  and  the  caravel  made  for  it ;  but  the  Admiral 
could  not  do  so,  and  was  standing  off  and  on  all  night. 

Thursday,  6th  of  December. 

When  daylight  arrived  the  Admiral  found  himself  four 
leagues  from  the  port,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Puerto 
Maria,  and  to  a  fine  cape  bearing  S.  S.  W.  he  gave  the 
name  of  Cabo  del  Estrella.  It  seemed  to  be  the  furthest 
point  of  the  island  towards  the  S.,  distant  twenty-eight  miles. 
Another  point  of  land,  like  an  island,  appeared  about  forty 
miles  to  the  E.  To  another  fine  point,  fifty-four  miles  to  the 
E.,  he  gave  the  name  of  Cabo  del  Elefante,  and  he  called 
another,  twenty-eight  miles  to  the  S.  E.,  Cabo  de  Cinquin. 
There  was  a  great  opening  or  bay,  which  might  be  the 


EXPLORAriON 


159 


mouth  of  a  river,  distant  twenty  miles.  It  seemed  that 
between  Cabo  del  Elefante  and  that  of  Cinquin  there  was  a 
great  opening,  and  some  of  the  sailors  said  that  it  formed  an 
island,  to  which  the  name  of  Is/a  de  la  Tortuga  was  given. 
The  island  appeared  to  be  very  high  land,  not  closed  in  with 
mountains,  but  with  beautiful  valleys,  well  cultivated,  the 
crops  appearing  like  the  wheat  on  the  plain  of  Cordova  in 
May.  That  night  they  saw  many  fires,  and  much  smoke, 
as  if  from  workshops,  in  the  daytime;  it  appeared  to  be  a 
signal  made  by  people  who  were  at  war.  All  the  coast 
of  this  land  trends  to  the  E. 

At  the  hour  of  vespers  the  Admiral  reached  this  port,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Puerto  de  San  Nicolas,  in  honor 
of  St.  Nicholas,  whose  day  it  was;  and  on  entering  it  he 
was  astonished  at  its  beauty  and  excellence.  Although 
he  had  given  great  praise  to  the  ports  of  Cuba,  he  had  no 
doubt  that  this  one  not  only  equalled,  but  excelled  them, 
and  none  of  them  are  like  it.  At  the  entrance  it  is  a 
league  and  a  half  wide,  and  a  vessel's  head  should  be 
turned  S.  S.  E.,  though,  owing  to  the  great  width,  she  may 
be  steered  on  any  bearing  that  is  convenient;  proceeding 
on  this  course  for  two  leagues.  On  the  S.  side  of  the 
entrance  the  coast  forms  a  cape,  and  thence  the  course  is 
almost  the  same  as  far  as  a  point  where  there  is  a  fine 
beach,  and  a  plain  covered  with  fruit-bearing  trees  of  many 
kinds;  so  that  the  Admiral  thought  there  must  be  nut 
megs  and  other  spices  among  them,  but  he  did  not  know 
them,  and  they  were  not  ripe.  There  is  a  river  falling  into 
the  harbor,  near  the  middle  of  the  beach.  The  depth  of  this 
port  is  surprising,  for,  until  reaching  the  land,  for  a  dis 
tance  of  ...  the  lead  did  not  reach  the  bottom  at  forty 
fathoms ;  and  up  to  this  length  there  are  fifteen  fathoms 
with  a  very  clean  bottom.  Throughout  the  port  there  is  a 
depth  of  fifteen  fathoms,  with  a  clean  bottom,  at  a  short  dis 
tance  from  the  shore;  and  all  along  the  coast  there  are 
soundings  with  clean  bottom,  and  not  a  single  sunken  rock. 
Inside,  at  the  length  of  a  boat's  oar  from  the  land,  there  are 


160  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

five  fathoms.  Beyond  the  limit  of  the  port  to  the  S.  S.  E. 
a  thousand  carracks  could  beat  up.  One  branch  of  the 
port  to  the  N.  E.  runs  into  the  land  for  a  long  half-league, 
and  always  the  same  width,  as  if  it  had  been  measured  with 
a  cord.  Being  in  this  creek,  which  is  twenty-five  paces 
wide,  the  principal  entrance  to  the  harbor  is  not  in  sight, 
so  that  it  appears  land-locked.  The  depth  of  this  creek  is 
eleven  fathoms  throughout,  all  with  clean  bottom;  and 
close  to  the  land,  where  one  might  put  the  gangboards  on 
the  grass,  there  are  eight  fathoms. 

The  whole  port  is  open  to  the  air,  and  clear  of  trees. 
All  the  island  appeared  to  be  more  rocky  that  any  that  had 
been  discovered.  The  trees  are  smaller,  and  many  of  them 
of  the  same  kinds  as  are  found  in  Spain,  such  as  the  ilex, 
the  arbutus,  and  others,  and  it  is  the  same  with  the  herbs. 
It  is  a  very  high  country,  all  open  and  clear,  with  a  very 
fine  air,  and  no  such  cold  has  been  met  with  elsewhere, 
though  it  cannot  be  called  cold  except  by  comparison. 
Towards  the  front  of  the  haven  there  is  a  beautiful  valley, 
watered  by  a  river;  and  in  that  district  there  must  be  many 
inhabitants,  judging  from  the  number  of  large  canoes,  like 
galleys,  with  fifteen  benches.  All  the  natives  fled  as  soon 
as  they  saw  the  ships.  The  Indians  who  were  on  board  had 
such  a  longing  to  return  to  their  homes  that  the  Admiral 
considered  whether  he  should  not  take  them  back  when  he 
should  depart  from  here.  They  were  already  suspicious, 
because  he  did  not  shape  a  course  towards  their  country; 
whence  he  neither  believed  what  they  said,  nor  could  he 
understand  them,  nor  they  him,  properly.  The  Indians  on 
board  had  the  greatest  fear  in  the  world  of  the  people  of 
this  island.  In  order  to  get  speech  of  the  people  it  would 
be  necessary  to  remain  some  days  in  harbor;  but  the 
Admiral  did  not  do  so,  because  he  had  to  continue  his  dis 
coveries,  and  because  he  could  not  tell  how  long  he  might 
be  detained.  He  trusted  in  our  Lord  that  the  Indians  he 
brought  with  him  would  understand  the  language  of  the 
people  of  this  island;  and  afterwards  he  would  communicate 


EXPLORAriON  161 

with  them,  trusting  that  it  might  please  God's  Majesty  that 
he  might  find  trade  in  gold  before  he  returned. 

Friday,  7th  of  December. 

At  daybreak  the  Admiral  got  under  weigh,  made  sail,  and 
left  the  port  of  San  Nicolas.  He  went  on  with  the  wind 
in  the  W.  for  two  leagues,  until  he  reached  the  point  which 
forms  the  Carenero,  when  the  angle  in  the  coast  bore  S.  E., 
and  Cabo  de  la  Estrella  was  twenty-four  miles  to  the 
S.  W.  Thence  he  steered  along  the  coast  eastward  to  Cabo 
de  Cinquin  about  forty-eight  miles,  twenty  of  them  being 
on  an  E.  N.  E.  coast.  All  the  coast  is  very  high,  with  a 
deep  sea.  Close  in  shore  there  are  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms, 
and  at  the  distance  of  a  lombard-shot  there  is  no  bottom; 
all  which  the  Admiral  discovered  that  day,  as  he  sailed 
along  the  coast  with  the  wind  S.  W.,  much  to  his  satisfac 
tion.  The  cape,  which  runs  out  in  the  port  of  San  Nicolas 
the  length  of  a  shot  from  a  lombard,  could  be  made  an 
island  by  cutting  across  it,  while  to  sail  round  it  is  a  circuit 
of  three  or  four  miles.  All  that  land  is  very  high,  not 
clothed  with  very  high  trees,  but  with  ilex,  arbutus,  and 
others  proper  to  the  land  of  Castille.  Before  reaching  Cabo 
de  Cinquin  by  two  leagues,  the  Admiral  discovered  an  open 
ing  in  the  mountains,  through  which  he  could  see  a  very 
large  valley,  covered  with  crops  like  barley,  and  he  therefore 
judged  that  it  must  sustain  a  large  population.  Behind 
there  was  a  high  range  of  mountains.  On  reaching  Cabo 
de  Cinquin,  Cabo  de  la  Tortuga  bore  N.  E.  thirty-two 
miles.  Off  Cabo  de  Cinquin,  at  the  distance  of  a  lombard- 
shot,  there  is  a  high  rock,  which  is  a  good  landmark.  The 
Admiral  being  there,  he  took  the  bearing  of  Cabo  del  Ele- 
fante,  which  was  E.  S.  E.  about  seventy  miles,  the  inter 
vening  land  being  very  high.  At  a  distance  of  six  leagues 
there  was  a  conspicuous  cape,  and  he  saw  many  large  valleys 
and  plains,  and  high  mountains  inland,  all  reminding  him 
of  Spain.  After  eight  leagues  he  came  to  a  very  deep  but 
narrow  river,  though  a  carrack  might  easily  enter  it,  and  the 


1 62  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

mouth  without  bar  or  rocks.  After  sixteen  miles  there  was 
a  wide  and  deep  harbor,  with  no  bottom  at  the  entrance, 
nor,  at  three  paces  from  the  shore,  less  than  fifteen  fathoms ; 
and  it  runs  inland  a  quarter  of  a  league.  It  being  yet  very 
early,  only  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  wind  being 
aft  and  blowing  fresh,  yet,  as  the  sky  threatened  much  rain, 
and  it  was  very  thick,  which  is  dangerous  even  on  a  known 
coast,  how  much  more  in  an  unknown  country,  the  Admiral 
resolved  to  enter  the  port,  which  he  called  Puerto  de  la  Con- 
cepcion.  He  landed  near  a  small  river  at  the  point  of  the 
haven,  flowing  from  valleys  and  plains,  the  beauty  of  which 
was  a  marvel  to  behold.  He  took  fishing  nets  with  him; 
and,  before  he  landed,  a  skate,  like  those  of  Spain,  jumped 
into  the  boat,  this  being  the  first  time  they  had  seen  fish  re 
sembling  the  fish  of  Castille.  The  sailors  caught  and  killed 
others.  Walking  a  short  distance  inland,  the  Admiral  found 
much  land  under  cultivation,  and  heard  the  singing  of 
nightingales  and  other  birds  of  Castille.  Five  men  were 
seen,  but  they  would  not  stop,  running  away.  The  Ad 
miral  found  myrtles  and  other  Spanish  plants,  while  land 
and  mountains  were  like  those  of  Castille. 

Saturday,  8th  of  December. 

In  this  port  there  was  heavy  rain,  with  a  fresh  breeze 
from  the  N.  The  harbor  is  protected  from  all  winds 
except  the  N. ;  but  even  this  can  do  no  harm  whatever, 
because  there  is  a  great  surf  outside,  which  prevents  such 
a  sea  within  the  river  as  would  make  a  ship  work  on  her 
cables.  After  midnight  the  wind  veered  to  N.  E.,  and 
then  to  E.,  from  which  winds  this  port  is  well  sheltered  by 
the  island  of  Tortuga,  distant  thirty-six  miles. 

Sunday,  9th  of  December. 

To-day  it  rained,  and  the  weather  was  wintry,  like  Octo 
ber  in  Castille.  No  habitations  had  been  seen  except  a 
very  beautiful  house  in  the  Puerto  de  San  Nicolas,  which  was 
better  built  than  any  that  had  been  in  other  parts.  "The 


EXPLORATION  163 

island  is  very  large,"  says  the  Admiral;  "it  would  not  be 
much  if  it  has  a  circumference  of  two  hundred  leagues.  All 
the  parts  he  had  seen  were  well  cultivated.  He  believed 
that  the  villages  must  be  at  a  distance  from  the  sea,  whither 
they  went  when  the  ships  arrived;  for  they  all  took  to 
flight,  taking  everything  with  them,  and  they  made  smoke 
signals,  like  a  people  at  war."  This  port  has  a  width  of  a 
thousand  paces  at  its  entrance,  equal  to  a  quarter  of  a  league. 
There  is  neither  bank  nor  reef  within,  and  there  are  scarcely 
soundings  close  in  shore.  Its  length,  running  inland,  is  three 
thousand  paces,  all  clean,  and  with  a  sandy  bottom;  so  that 
any  ship  may  anchor  in  it  without  fear,  and  enter  it  without 
precaution.  At  the  upper  end  there  are  the  mouths  of  two 
rivers,  with  the  most  beautiful  campaign  country,  almost 
like  the  lands  of  Spain :  these  even  have  the  advantage ;  for 
which  reasons  the  Admiral  gave  the  name  of  the  said  island 
Is/a  Espanola. 

Monday,  loth  of  December. 

It  blew  hard  from  the  N.  E.,  which  made  them  drag 
their  anchors  half  a  cable's  length.  This  surprised  the 
Admiral,  who  had  seen  that  the  anchors  had  taken  good 
hold  of  the  ground.  As  he  saw  that  the  wind  was  foul  for 
the  direction  in  which  he  wanted  to  steer,  he  sent  six  men 
on  shore,  well  armed,  to  go  two  or  three  leagues  inland, 
and  endeavor  to  open  communications  with  the  natives. 
They  went  and  returned  without  having  seen  either  people 
or  houses.  But  they  found  some  hovels,  wide  roads,  and 
some  places  where  many  fires  had  been  made.  They  saw 
excellent  lands,  and  many  mastick  trees,  some  specimens 
of  which  they  took;  but  this  is  not  the  time  for  collecting 
it,  as  it  does  not  coagulate. 

Tuesday,  nth  of  December. 

The  Admiral  did  not  depart,  because  the  wind  was  still 
E.  and  S.  E.  In  front  of  this  port,  as  has  been  said,  is 
the  island  of  La  Tortuga.  It  appears  to  be  a  large  island. 


164  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

with  the  coast  almost  like  that  of  Espanola,  and  the  distance 
between  them  is  about  ten  leagues.  It  is  well  to  know  that 
from  Cabo  de  Cinquin,  opposite  Tortuga,  the  coast  trends 
to  the  S.  The  Admiral  had  a  great  desire  to  see  that 
channel  between  these  two  islands,  and  to  examine  the 
island  of  Espanola,  which  is  the  most  beautiful  thing  in 
the  world.  According  to  what  the  Indians  said  who  were 
on  board,  he  would  have  to  go  to  the  island  of  Babeque, 
They  declared  that  it  was  very  large,  with  great  mountains, 
rivers,  and  valleys;  and  that  the  island  of  Bohio  was  larger 
than  Juana,  which  they  call  Cuba,  and  that  it  is  not  sur 
rounded  by  water.  They  seem  to  imply  that  there  is  main 
land  behind  Espanola,  and  they  call  it  Caritaba,  and  say  it 
is  of  vast  extent.  They  have  reason  in  saying  that  the 
inhabitants  are  a  clever  race,  for  all  the  people  of  these 
islands  are  in  great  fear  of  those  of  Caniba.  So  the  Admiral 
repeats,  what  he  has  said  before,  that  Caniba  is  nothing  else 
but  the  Gran  Can,  who  ought  now  to  be  very  near.  He 
sends  ships  to  capture  the  islanders;  and  as  they  do  not 
return,  their  countrymen  believe  that  they  have  been  eaten. 
Each  day  we  understand  better  what  the  Indians  say,  and 
they  us,  so  that  very  often  we  are  intelligible  to  each  other. 
The  Admiral  sent  people  on  shore,  who  found  a  great  deal 
of  mastick,  but  did  not  gather  it.  He  says  that  the  rains 
make  it,  and  that  in  Chios  they  collect  it  in  March.  In 
these  lands,  being  warmer,  they  might  take  it  in  January. 
They  caught  many  fish  like  those  of  Castille — dace,  salmon, 
hake,  dory,  gilt  heads,  skates,  corbinas,  shrimps,  and  they  saw 
sardines.  They  found  many  aloes. 

Wednesday,  I2th  of  December. 

The  Admiral  did  not  leave  the  port  to-day,  for  the  same 
reason :  a  contrary  wind.  He  set  up  a  great  cross  on  the 
west  side  of  the  entrance,  on  a  very  picturesque  height,  "in 
sign,"  he  says,  "that  your  Highnesses  hold  this  land  for 
your  own,  but  chiefly  as  a  sign  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
This  being  done,  three  sailors  strolled  into  the  woods  to  see 


EXPLORATION  165 

the  trees  and  bushes.  Suddenly  they  came  upon  a  crowd 
of  people,  all  naked  like  the  rest.  They  called  to  them,  and 
went  towards  them,  but  they  ran  away.  At  last  they  caught 
a  woman;  for  I  had  ordered  that  some  should  be  caught, 
that  they  might  be  treated  well,  and  made  to  lose  their  fear. 
This  would  be  a  useful  event,  for  it  could  scarcely  be  other- 
wise,  considering  the  beauty  of  the  country.  So  they  took 
the  woman,  who  was  very  young  and  beautiful,  to  the  ship, 
where  she  talked  to  the  Indians  on  board;  for  they  all 
speak  the  same  language.  The  Admiral  caused  her  to  be 
dressed,  and  gave  her  glass  beads,  hawks'  bells,  and  brass 
ornaments ;  then  he  sent  her  back  to  the  shore  very  cour 
teously,  according  to  his  custom.  He  sent  three  of  the 
crew  with  her,  and  three  of  the  Indians  he  had  on  board, 
that  they  might  open  communications  with  her  people.  The 
sailors  in  the  boat,  who  took  her  on  shore,  told  the  Admiral 
that  she  did  not  want  to  leave  the  ship,  but  would  rather 
remain  with  the  other  women  he  had  seized  at  the  port  of 
Mares,  in  the  island  of  Juana  or  Cuba.  The  Indians  who 
went  to  put  the  woman  on  shore  said  that  the  natives  came 
in  a  canoe,  which  is  their  caravel,  in  which  they  navigate 
from  one  place  to  another;  but  when  they  came  to  the 
entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  saw  the  ships,  they  turned 
back,  left  the  canoe,  and  took  the  road  to  the  village.  The 
woman  pointed  out  the  position  of  the  village.  She  had  a 
piece  of  gold  in  her  nose,  which  showed  that  there  was  gold 
in  that  island. 

Thursday,  I3th  of  December. 

The  three  men  who  had  been  sent  by  the  Admiral  with 
the  woman  returned  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  not 
having  gone  with  her  to  the  village,  because  the  distance  ap 
peared  to  be  long,  or  because  they  were  afraid.  They  said 
that  next  day  many  people  would  come  to  the  ships,  as  they 
would  have  been  reassured  by  the  news  brought  them  by 
the  woman.  The  Admiral,  with  the  desire  of  ascertaining 
whether  there  were  any  profitable  commodities  in  that  land, 


1 66  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

being  so  beautiful  and  fertile,  and  of  having  some  speech 
with  the  people,  and  being  desirous  of  serving  the  Sover 
eigns,  determined  to  send  again  to  the  village,  trusting  in  the 
news  brought  by  the  woman  that  the  Christians  were  good 
people.  For  this  service  he  selected  nine  men  well  armed, 
and  suited  for  such  an  enterprise,  with  whom  an  Indian  went 
from  those  who  were  on  board.  They  reached  the  village, 
which  is  four  and  one-half  leagues  to  the  S.  E.,  and  found 
that  it  was  situated  in  a  very  large  and  open  valley.  As  soon 
as  the  inhabitants  saw  the  Christians  coming  they  all  fled 
inland,  leaving  all  their  goods  behind  them.  The  village 
consisted  of  a  thousand  houses  with  over  three  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  Indian  whom  the  Christians  had  brought 
with  them  ran  after  the  fugitives,  saying  that  they  should 
have  no  fear,  for  the  Christians  did  not  come  from  Cariba, 
but  were  from  heaven,  and  that  they  gave  many  beautiful 
things  to  all  the  people  they  met.  They  were  so  impressed 
with  what  he  said,  that  upwards  of  two  thousand  came  close 
up  to  the  .Christians,  putting  their  hands  on  their  heads, 
which  was  a  sign  of  great  reverence  and  friendship;  and 
they  were  all  trembling  until  they  were  reassured.  The 
Christians  related  that,  as  soon  as  the  natives  had  cast  off 
their  fear,  they  all  went  to  the  houses,  and  each  one  brought 
what  he  had  to  eat,  consisting  of  niames,  which  are  roots 
like  large  radishes,  which  they  sow  and  cultivate  in  all  their 
lands,  and  are  their  staple  food.  They  make  bread  of  them, 
and  roast  them.  They  have  the  smell  of  a  chestnut,  and  any 
one  would  think  he  was  eating  chestnuts.  They  gave  their 
guests  bread  and  fish,  and  all  they  had.  As  the  Indians 
who  came  in  the  ship  had  understood  that  the  Admiral 
wanted  to  have  some  parrots,  one  of  those  who  accom 
panied  the  Spaniards  mentioned  this,  and  the  natives  brought 
out  parrots,  and  gave  them  as  many  as  they  wanted,  without 
asking  anything  for  them.  The  natives  asked  the  Spaniards 
not  to  go  that  night,  and  that  they  would  give  them  many 
other  things  that  they  had  in  the  mountains.  While  all 
these  people  were  with  the  Spaniards,  a  great  multitude  was 


EXPLORATION  167 

seen  to  come,  with  the  husband  of  the  woman  whom  the 
Admiral  had  honored  and  sent  away.  They  wore  hair  over 
their  shoulders,  and  came  to  give  thanks  to  the  Christians 
for  the  honor  the  Admiral  had  done  them,  and  for  the  gifts. 
The  Christians  reported  to  the  Admiral  that  this  was  a 
handsomer  and  finer  people  than  any  that  had  hitherto  been 
met  with.  But  the  Admiral  says  that  he  does  not  see  how 
they  can  be  a  finer  people  than  the  others,  giving  to  under 
stand  that  all  those  he  had  found  in  the  other  islands  were 
very  well  conditioned.  As  regards  beauty,  the  Christians 
said  there  was  no  comparison,  both  men  and  women,  and 
that  their  skins  are  whiter  than  the  others.  They  saw  two 
girls  whose  skins  were  as  white  as  any  that  could  be  seen 
in  Spain.  They  also  said,  with  regard  to  the  beauty  of  the 
country  they  saw,  that  the  best  land  in  Castille  could  not  be 
compared  with  it.  The  Admiral  also,  comparing  the  lands 
they  had  seen  before  with  these,  said  that  there  was  no 
comparison  between  them,  nor  did  the  plain  of  Cordova 
come  near  them,  the  difference  being  as  great  as  between 
night  and  day.  They  said  that  all  these  lands  were  culti 
vated,  and  that  a  very  wide  and  large  river  passed  through 
the  centre  of  the  valley,  and  could  irrigate  all  the  fields. 
All  the  trees  were  green  and  full  of  fruit,  and  the  plants  tall 
and  covered  with  flowers.  The  roads  were  broad  and  good. 
The  climate  was  like  April  in  Castille;  the  nightingale  and 
other  birds  sang  as  they  do  in  Spain  during  tnat  month, 
and  it  was  the  most  pleasant  place  in  the  world.  Some 
birds  sing  sweetly  at  night.  The  crickets  and  frogs  are 
heard  a  good  deal.  The  fish  are  like  those  of  Spain.  They 
saw  much  aloe  and  mastick,  and  cotton  fields.  Gold  was 
not  found,  and  it  is  not  wonderful  that  it  should  not  have 
been  found  in  so  short  a  time. 

Here  the  Admiral  calculated  the  number  of  hours  in  the 
day  and  night,  and  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  He  found  that 
twenty  half-hour  glasses  passed,  though  he  says  that  here 
there  may  be  a  mistake,  either  because  they  were  not  turned 
with  equal  quickness,  or  because  some  sand  may  not  have 


1 68  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

passed.      He  also  observed  with  a  quadrant,  and  found  that 
he  was  thirty-four  degrees  from  the  equinoctial  line. 

Friday,  I4th  of  December. 

The  Admiral  left  the  Puerto  de  la  Concepcion  with  the 
land  breeze,  but  soon  afterwards  it  fell  calm  [and  this  is 
experienced  every  day  by  those  who  are  on  this  coast]. 
Later  an  E.  wind  sprang  up,  so  he  steered  N.  N.  E.,  and 
arrived  at  the  island  of  Tortuga.  He  sighted  a  point  which 
he  named  Punta  Pierna,  E.  N.  E.  of  the  end  of  the  island 
twelve  miles;  and  from  thence  another  point  was  seen  and 
named  Punta  Lanzada,  in  the  same  N.  E.  direction  sixteen 
miles.  Thus  from  the  end  of  Tortuga  to  Punta  Aguda  the 
distance  is  forty-four  miles,  which  is  eleven  leagues  E.  N.  E. 
Along  this  route  there  are  several  long  stretches  of  beach. 
The  island  of  Tortuga  is  very  high,  but  not  mountainous, 
and  is  very  beautiful  and  populous,  like  Espanola,  and  the 
land  is  cultivated,  so  that  it  looked  like  the  plain  of  Cordova. 
Seeing  that  the  wind  was  foul,  and  that  he  could  not  steer 
for  the  island  of  Babeque,  he  determined  to  return  to  the 
Puerto  de  la  Concepcion  whence  he  had  come;  but  he 
could  not  fetch  a  river  which  is  two  leagues  to  the  E.  of 
that  port. 

Saturday,  I5th  of  December. 

Once  more  the  Admiral  left  the  Puerto  de  la  Concepcion, 
but,  on  leaving  the  port,  he  was  again  met  by  a  contrary 
E.  wind.  He  stood  over  to  Tortuga,  and  then  steered 
with  the  object  of  exploring  the  river  he  had  been  unable 
to  reach  yesterday;  nor  was  he  able  to  fetch  the  river  this 
time,  but  he  anchored  half  a  league  to  leeward  of  it,  where 
there  was  clean  and  good  anchoring  ground.  As  soon  as 
the  vessels  were  secured,  he  went  with  the  boats  to  the 
river,  entering  an  arm  of  the  sea,  which  proved  not  to  be 
the  river.  Returning,  he  found  the  mouth,  there  being  only 
one,  and  the  current  very  strong.  He  went  in  with  the 
boats  to  find  the  villagers  that  had  been  seen  the  day  before. 


EXPLORAriON  169 

He  ordered  a  towrope  to  be  got  out  and  manned  by  the 
sailors,  who  hauled  the  boats  up  for  a  distance  of  two 
lombard-shots.  They  could  not  get  further,  owing  to  the 
strength  of  the  current.  He  saw  some  houses,  and  the  large 
valley  where  the  villages  were,  and  he  said  that  a  more 
beautiful  valley  he  had  never  seen,  this  river  flowing  through 
the  centre  of  it.  He  also  saw  people  at  the  entrance,  but 
they  all  took  to  flight.  He  further  says  that  these  people 
must  be  much  hunted,  for  they  live  in  such  a  state  of  fear. 
When  the  ships  arrived  at  any  port,  they  presently  made 
smoke  signals  throughout  the  country;  and  this  is  done 
more  in  this  island  of  Espaiiola  and  in  Tortuga,  which  is 
also  a  large  island,  than  in  the  others  that  were  visited 
before.  He  called  this  valley  Valle  del  Paraiso,  and  the  river 
Guadalquivir ;  because  he  says  that  it  is  the  size  of  the 
Guadalquivir  at  Cordova.  The  banks  consist  of  shingle, 
suitable  for  walking. 

Sunday,  i6th  of  December. 

At  midnight  the  Admiral  made  sail  with  the  land  breeze 
to  get  clear  of  that  gulf.  Passing  along  the  coast  of 
Espanola  on  a  bowline,  for  the  wind  had  veered  to  the  E., 
he  met  a  canoe  in  the  middle  of  the  gulf,  with  a  single 
Indian  in  it.  The  Admiral  was  surprised  how  he  could 
have  kept  afloat  with  such  a  gale  blowing.  Both  the  Indian 
and  his  canoe  were  taken  on  board,  and  he  was  given  glass 
beads,  bells,  and  brass  trinkets,  and  taken  in  the  ship,  until  she 
was  off  a  village  seventeen  miles  from  the  former  anchorage, 
where  the  Admiral  came  to  again.  The  village  appeared 
to  have  been  lately  built,  for  all  the  houses  were  new.  The 
Indian  then  went  on  shore  in  his  canoe,  bringing  the  news 
that  the  Admiral  and  his  companions  were  good  people; 
although  the  intelligence  had  already  been  conveyed  to  the 
village  from  the  place  where  the  natives  had  their  interview 
with  the  six  Spaniards.  Presently  more  than  five  hundred 
natives  with  their  king  came  to  the  shore  opposite  the  ships, 
which  were  anchored  very  close  to  the  land.  Presently 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

one  by  one,  then  many  by  many,  came  to  the  ship  without 
bringing  anything  with  them,  except  that  some  had  a  few 
grains  of  very  fine  gold  in  their  ears  and  noses,  which  they 
readily  gave  away.  The  Admiral  ordered  them  all  to  be 
well  treated ;  and  he  says :  "  for  they  are  the  best  people  in 
the  world,  and  the  gentlest;  and  above  all  I  entertain  the 
hope  in  our  Lord  that  your  Highnesses  will  make  them  all 
Christians,  and  that  they  will  all  be  your  subjects,  for  as 
yours  I  hold  them."  He  also  saw  that  they  all  treated  the 
king  with  respect,  who  was  on  the  seashore.  The  Admiral 
sent  him  a  present,  which  he  received  in  great  state.  He 
was  a  youth  of  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  he  had 
with  him  an  aged  tutor,  and  other  councillors  who  advised 
and  answered  him,  but  he  uttered  very  few  words.  One  of 
the  Indians  who  had  come  in  the  Admiral's  ship  spoke  to 
him,  telling  him  how  the  Christians  had  come  from  heaven, 
and  how  they  came  in  search  of  gold,  and  wished  to  find 
the  island  of  Babeque.  He  said  that  it  was  well,  and  that 
there  was  much  gold  in  the  said  island.  He  explained  to 
the  Alguazil  of  the  Admiral  that  the  way  they  were  going 
was  the  right  way,  and  that  in  two  days  they  would  be 
there;  adding,  that  if  they  wanted  anything  from  the  shore 
he  would  give  it  them  with  great  pleasure.  This  king,  and 
all  the  others,  go  naked  as  their  mothers  bore  them,  as  do 
the  women,  without  any  covering,  and  these  were  the  most 
beautiful  men  and  women  that  had  yet  been  met  with. 
They  are  fairly  white,  and  if  they  were  clothed  and  pro 
tected  from  the  sun  and  air  they  would  be  almost  as  fair  as 
people  in  Spain.  This  land  is  cool,  and  the  best  that  words 
can  describe.  It  is  very  high,  yet  the  top  of  the  highest 
mountain  could  be  ploughed  with  bullocks ;  and  all  is 
diversified  with  plains  and  valleys.  In  all  Castille  there 
is  no  land  that  can  be  compared  with  this  for  beauty  and 
fertility.  All  tnis  island,  as  well  as  the  island  of  Tortuga, 
is  cultivated  like  the  plain  of  Cordova.  They  raise  on  these 
lands  crops  of  yams,  which  are  small  branches,  at  the  foot 
of  which  grow  roots  like  carrots,  which  serve  as  bread. 


EXPLORATION  I7! 

They  powder  and  knead  them,  and  make  them  into  bread; 
then  they  plant  the  same  branch  in  another  part,  which 
again  sends  out  four  or  five  of  the  same  roots,  which  are 
very  nutritious,  with  the  taste  of  chestnuts.  Here  they 
have  the  largest  the  Admiral  had  seen  in  any  part  of  the 
world,  for  he  says  that  they  have  the  same  plant  in  Guinea. 
At  this  place  they  were  as  thick  as  a  man's  leg.  All  the 
people  were  stout  and  lusty,  not  thin,  like  the  natives  that 
had  been  seen  before,  and  of  a  very  pleasant  manner,  with 
out  religious  belief.  The  trees  were  so  luxuriant  that  the 
leaves  left  off  being  green,  and  were  dark-colored  with 
verdure.  It  was  a  wonderful  thing  to  see  those  valleys, 
and  rivers  of  sweet  water,  and  the  cultivated  fields,  and  land 
fit  for  cattle,  though  they  have  none,  for  orchards,  and  for 
anything  in  the  world  that  a  man  could  seek. 

In  the  afternoon  the  king  came  on  board  the  ship,  where 
the  Admiral  received  him  in  due  form,  and  caused  him  to 
be  told  that  the  ships  belonged  to  the  Sovereigns  of  Castille, 
who  were  the  greatest  Princes  in  the  world.  But  neither 
the  Indians  who  were  on  board,  who  acted  as  interpreters, 
nor  the  king  believed  a  word  of  it.  They  maintained  that 
the  Spaniards  came  from  heaven,  and  that  the  Sovereigns 
of  Castille  must  be  in  heaven,  and  not  in  this  world.  They 
placed  Spanish  food  before  the  king  to  eat,  and  he  ate  a 
mouthful,  and  gave  the  rest  to  his  councillors  and  tutor,  and 
to  the  rest  who  came  with  him. 

"Your  Highnesses  may  believe  that  these  lands  are  so 
good  and  fertile,  especially  these  of  the  island  of  Espanola, 
that  there  is  no  one  who  would  know  how  to  describe  them, 
and  no  one  who  could  believe  if  he  had  not  seen  them.  And 
your  Highnesses  may  believe  that  this  island,  and  all  the 
others,  are  as  much  yours  as  Castille.  Here  there  is  only 
wanting  a  settlement  and  the  order  to  the  people  to  do  what 
is  required.  For  I,  with  the  force  I  have  under  me,  which  is 
not  large,  could  march  over  all  these  islands  without  oppo 
sition.  I  have  seen  only  three  sailors  land,  without  wishing 
to  do  harm,  and  a  multitude  of  Indians  fled  before  them. 


172 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


They  have  no  arms,  and  are  without  warlike  instincts ;  they 
all  go  naked,  and  are  so  timid  that  a  thousand  would  not 
stand  before  three  of  our  men.  So  that  they  are  good  to 
be  ordered  about,  to  work  and  sow,  and  do  all  that  may  be 
necessary,  and  to  build  towns,  and  they  should  be  taught  to 
go  about  clothed  and  to  adopt  our  customs." 

Monday,  iyth  of  December. 

It  blew  very  hard  during  the  night  from  E.  N.  E.,  but 
there  was  not  much  sea,  as  this  part  of  the  coast  is  enclosed 
and  sheltered  by  the  island  of  Tortuga.  The  sailors  were 
sent  away  to  fish  with  nets.  They  had  much  intercourse 
with  the  natives,  who  brought  them  certain  arrows  of  the 
Caribas  or  Canibales.  They  are  made  of  reeds,  pointed  with 
sharp  bits  of  wood  hardened  by  fire,  and  are  very  long. 
They  pointed  out  two  men  who  wanted  certain  pieces  of 
flesh  on  their  bodies,  giving  to  understand  that  the  Canibales 
had  eaten  them  by  mouthfuls.  The  Admiral  did  not  believe 
it.  Some  Christians  were  again  sent  to  the  village,  and,  in 
exchange  for  glass  beads,  obtained  some  pieces  of  gold 
beaten  out  into  fine  leaf.  They  saw  one  man,  whom  the 
Admiral  supposed  to  be  governor  of  that  province,  called 
by  them  cacique,  with  a  piece  of  gold  leaf  as  large  as  a 
hand,  and  it  appears  that  he  wanted  to  barter  with  it.  He 
went  into  his  house,  and  the  other  remained  in  the  open 
space  outside.  He  cut  the  leaf  into  small  pieces,  and  each 
time  he  came  out  he  brought  a  piece  and  exchanged  it. 
When  he  had  no  more  left,  he  said  by  signs  that  he  had 
sent  for  more,  and  that  he  would  bring  it  another  day.  The 
Admiral  says  that  all  these  things,  and  the  manner  of  doing 
them,  with  their  gentleness  and  the  information  they  gave, 
showed  these  people  to  be  more  lively  and  intelligent  than 
any  that  had  hitherto  been  met  with.  In  the  afternoon  a 
canoe  arrived  from  the  island  of  Tortuga  with  a  crew  of 
forty  men;  and  when  they  arrived  on  the  beach  all  the 
people  of  the  village  sat  down  in  sign  of  peace,  and  nearly 
all  the  crew  came  on  shore.  The  cacique  rose  by  himself, 


EXPLORATION  ^ 

and,  with  words  that  appeared  to  be  of  a  menacing  char 
acter,  made  them  go  back  to  the  canoe  and  shove  off.  He 
took  up  stones  from  the  beach  and  threw  them  into  the 
water,  all  having  obediently  gone  back  into  the  canoe.  He 
also  took  a  stone  and  put  it  in  the  hands  of  my  Alguazil, 
that  he  might  throw  it.  He  had  been  sent  on  shore  with 
the  Secretary  to  see  if  the  canoe  had  brought  anything  of 
value.  The  Alguazil  did  not  wish  to  throw  the  stone. 
That  cacique  showed  that  he  was  well  disposed  to  the 
Admiral.  Presently  the  canoe  departed,  and  afterwards 
they  said  to  the  Admiral  that  there  was  more  gold  in  Tor- 
tuga  than  in  Espanola,  because  it  is  nearer  to  Babeque. 
The  Admiral  did  not  think  that  there  were  gold  mines  either 
in  Espanola  or  Tortuga,  but  that  the  gold  was  brought  from 
Babeque  in  small  quantities,  there  being  nothing  to  give  in 
return.  That  land  is  so  rich  that  there  is  no  necessity  to 
work  much  to  sustain  life,  nor  to  clothe  themselves,  as  they 
go  naked.  He  believed  that  they  were  very  near  the  source, 
and  that  our  Lord  would  point  out  where  the  gold  has  its 
origin.  He  had  information  that  from  here  to  Babeque  was 
four  days'  journey,  about  thirty-four  leagues,  which  might 
be  traversed  with  a  fair  wind  in  a  single  day. 

Tuesday,  i8th  of  December. 

The  Admiral  remained  at  the  same  anchorage,  because 
there  was  no  wind,  and  also  because  the  cacique  had  said 
that  he  had  sent  for  gold.  The  Admiral  did  not  expect 
much  from  what  might  be  brought,  but  he  wanted  to  under 
stand  better  whence  it  came.  Presently  he  ordered  the  ship 
and  caravel  to  be  adorned  with  arms  and  dressed  with  flags, 
in  honor  of  the  feast  of  Santa  Maria  de  la  O  .  .  .,  or 
commemoration  of  the  Annunciation,  which  was  on  that 
day,  and  many  rounds  were  fired  from  the  lombards.  The 
king  of  that  island  of  Espanola  had  got  up  very  early  and 
left  his  house,  which  is  about  five  leagues  away,  reaching 
the  village  at  three  in  the  morning.  There  were  several 
men  from  the  ship  in  the  village,  who  had  been  sent  by  the 


174  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Admiral  to  see  if  any  gold  had  arrived.  They  said  that 
the  king  came  with  two  hundred  men;  that  he  was  carried 
in  a  litter  by  four  men;  and  that  he  was  a  youth,  as  has 
already  been  said.  To-day,  when  the  Admiral  was  dining 
under  the  poop,  the  king  came  on  board  with  all  his  people. 
The  Admiral  says  to  the  Sovereigns :  "  Without  doubt, 
his  state,  and  the  reverence  with  which  he  is  treated  by 
all  his  people,  would  appear  good  to  your  Highnesses,  though 
they  all  go  naked.  When  he  came  on  board,  he  found  that 
I  was  dining  at  a  table  under  the  poop,  and,  at  a  quick 
walk,  he  came  to  sit  down  by  me,  and  did  not  wish  that  I 
should  give  place  by  coming  to  receive  him  or  rising  from 
the  table,  but  that  I  should  go  on  with  my  dinner.  I 
thought  that  he  would  like  to  eat  of  our  viands,  and  ordered 
them  to  be  brought  for  him  to  eat.  When  he  came  under 
the  poop,  he  made  signs  with  his  hand  that  all  the  rest 
should  remain  outside,  and  so  they  did,  with  the  greatest 
possible  promptitude  and  reverence.  They  all  sat  on  the 
deck,  except  the  men  of  mature  age,  whom  I  believe  to  be 
his  councillors  and  tutor,  who  came  and  sat  at  his  feet. 
Of  the  viands  which  I  put  before  him,  he  took  of  each  as 
much  as  would  serve  to  taste  it,  sending  the  rest  to  his 
people,  who  all  partook  of  the  dishes.  The  same  thing  in 
drinking:  he  just  touched  with  his  lips,  giving  the  rest  to 
his  followers.  They  were  all  of  fine  presence  and  very  few 
words.  What  they  did  say,  so  far  as  I  could  make  out, 
was  very  clear  and  intelligent.  The  two  at  his  feet  watched 
his  mouth,  speaking  to  him  and  for  him,  and  with  much 
reverence.  After  dinner,  an  attendant  brought  a  girdle, 
made  like  those  of  Castille,  but  of  different  material,  which 
he  took  and  gave  to  me,  with  pieces  of  worked  gold,  very 
thin.  I  believe  they  get  very  little  here,  but  they  say  that 
they  are  very  near  the  place  where  it  is  found,  and  where 
there  is  plenty.  I  saw  that  he  was  pleased  with  some  dra 
pery  I  had  over  my  bed,  so  I  gave  it  him,  with  some  very 
good  amber  beads  I  wore  on  my  neck,  some  colored  shoes, 
and  a  bottle  of  orange-flower  water.  He  was  marvellously 


EXPLORATION  175 

well  content,  and  both  he  and  his  tutor  and  councillors 
were  very  sorry  that  they  could  not  understand  me,  nor  I 
them.  However,  I  knew  that  they  said  that,  if  I  wanted 
anything,  the  whole  island  was  at  my  disposal.  I  sent  for 
some  beads  of  mine,  with  which,  as  a  charm,  I  had  a  gold 
excelente^  on  which  your  Highnesses  were  stamped.  I  showed 
it  to  him,  and  said,  as  I  had  done  yesterday,  that  your 
Highnesses  ruled  the  best  part  of  the  world,  and  that  there 
were  no  Princes  so  great.  I  also  showed  him  the  royal 
standards,  and  the  others  with  a  cross,  of  which  he  thought 
much.  He  said  to  his  councillors  what  great  lords  your 
Highnesses  must  be  to  have  sent  me  from  so  far,  even  from 
heaven  to  this  country,  without  fear.  Many  other  things 
passed  between  them  which  I  did  not  understand,  except 
that  it  was  easy  to  see  that  they  held  everything  to  be  very 
wonderful." 

When  it  got  late,  and  the  king  wanted  to  go,  the  Admiral 
sent  him  on  shore  in  his  boat  very  honorably,  and  saluted  him 
with  many  guns.  Having  landed,  he  got  into  his  litter,  and 
departed  with  his  two  hundred  men,  his  son  being  carried 
behind  on  the  shoulders  of  an  Indian,  a  man  highly  respected. 
All  the  sailors  and  people  from  the  ships  were  given  to  eat, 
and  treated  with  much  honor  wherever  they  liked  to  stop. 
One  sailor  said  that  he  had  stopped  in  the  road  and  seen  all 
the  things  given  by  the  Admiral.  A  man  carried  each  one 
before  the  king,  and  these  men  appeared  to  be  among  those 
who  were  most  respected.  His  son  came  a  good  distance 
behind  the  king,  with  a  similar  number  of  attendants,  and 
the  same  with  a  brother  of  the  king,  except  that  the  brother 
went  on  foot,  supported  under  the  arms  by  two  honored 
attendants.  This  brother  came  to  the  ship  after  the  king, 
and  the  Admiral  presented  him  with  some  of  the  things 
used  for  barter.  It  was  then  that  the  Admiral  learnt  that  a 
king  was  called  cacique  in  their  language.  This  day  little 
gold  was  got  by  barter,  but  the  Admiral  heard  from  an  old 
man  that  there  were  many  neighboring  islands,  at  a  dis 
tance  of  a  hundred  leagues  or  more,  as  he  understood,  in 


176  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

which  much  gold  was  found;  and  there  was  even  one  island 
that  was  all  gold.  In  the  others  there  was  so  much  that  it 
was  said  they  gather  it  with  sieves,  and  they  fuse  it  and 
make  bars,  and  work  it  in  a  thousand  ways.  They  explained 
the  work  by  signs.  This  old  man  pointed  out  to  the  Ad 
miral  the  direction  and  position,  and  he  determined  to  go 
there,  saying  that  if  the  old  man  had  not  been  a  principal 
councillor  of  the  king  he  would  detain  him,  and  make  him 
go,  too;  or  if  he  knew  the  language  he  would  ask  him,  and 
he  believed,  as  the  old  man  was  friendly  with  him  and  the 
other  Christians,  that  he  would  go  of  his  own  accord.  But 
as  these  people  were  now  subjects  of  the  King  of  Castille, 
and  it  would  not  be  right  to  injure  them,  he  decided  upon 
leaving  him.  The  Admiral  set  up  a  very  large  cross  in  the 
centre  of  the  square  of  that  village,  the  Indians  giving  much 
help;  they  made  prayers  and  worshipped  it,  and,  from  the 
feeling  they  show,  the  Admiral  trusted  in  our  Lord  that  all 
the  people  of  those  islands  would  become  Christians. 


Wednesday,  iQth  of  December. 

This  night  the  Admiral  got  under  weigh  to  leave  the  gulf 
formed  between  the  islands  of  Tortuga  and  Espanola,  but 
at  dawn  of  day  a  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  E.,  against 
which  he  was  unable  to  get  clear  of  the  strait  between  the 
two  islands  during  the  whole  day.  At  night  he  was  unable 
to  reach  a  port  which  was  in  sight.  He  made  out  four 
points  of  land,  and  a  great  bay  with  a  river,  and  beyond  he 
saw  a  large  bay,  where  there  was  a  village,  with  a  valley 
behind  it  among  high  mountains  covered  with  trees,  which 
appeared  to  be  pines.  Over  the  Two  Brothers  there  is  a 
very  high  mountain  range  running  N.  E.  and  S.  W.,  and 
E.  S.  E.  from  the  Cabo  de  Torres  is  a  small  island  to  which 
the  Admiral  gave  the  name  of  Santo  Tomas,  because  to 
morrow  was  his  vigil.  The  whole  circuit  of  this  island 
alternates  with  capes  and  excellent  harbors,  so  far  as  could 
be  judged  from  the  sea.  Before  coming  to  the  island  on 
the  W.  side,  there  is  a  cape  which  runs  far  into  the  sea, 


EXPLORATION 


177 


in  part  high,  the  rest  low;  and  for  this  reason  the  Admiral 
named  it  Cabo  alto  y  bajo.  From  the  road  [Cabo]  of  Torres 
to  E.  S.  E.  sixty  miles,  there  is  a  mountain  higher  than  any 
that  reaches  the  sea,  and  from  a  distance  it  looks  like  an 
island,  owing  to  a  depression  on  the  land  side.  It  was 
named  Monte  Caribata,  because  that  province  was  called 
Carlbata.  It  is  very  beautiful,  and  covered  with  green 
trees,  without  snow  or  clouds.  The  weather  was  then,  as 
regards  the  air  and  temperature,  like  March  in  Castille, 
and  as  regards  vegetation,  like  May.  The  nights  lasted 
fourteen  hours. 

Thursday,  2Oth  of  December. 

At  sunrise  they  entered  a  port  between  the  island  of 
Santo  Tomas  and  the  Cabo  de  Caribata,  and  anchored. 
This  port  is  very  beautiful,  and  would  hold  all  the  ships  in 
Christendom.  The  entrance  appears  impossible  from  the 
sea  to  those  who  have  never  entered,  owing  to  some  reefs 
of  rocks  which  run  from  the  mountainous  cape  almost  to 
the  island.  They  are  not  placed  in  a  row,  but  one  here, 
another  there,  some  towards  the  sea,  others  near  the  land. 
It  is  therefore  necessary  to  keep  a  good  lookout  for  the  en 
trances,  which  are  wide  and  with  a  depth  of  seven  fathoms, 
so  that  they  can  be  used  without  fear.  Inside  the  reefs  there 
is  a  depth  of  twelve  fathoms.  A  ship  can  lie  with  a  cable 
made  fast,  against  any  wind  that  blows.  At  the  entrance 
of  this  port  there  is  a  channel  on  the  W.  side  of  a  sandy 
islet  with  seven  fathoms,  and  many  trees  on  its  shore.  But 
there  are  many  sunken  rocks  in  that  direction,  and  a  look 
out  should  be  kept  up  until  the  port  is  reached.  Afterwards 
there  is  no  need  to  fear  the  greatest  storm  in  the  world. 
From  this  port  a  very  beautiful  cultivated  valley  is  in  sight, 
descending  from  the  S.  E.,  surrounded  by  such  lofty  moun 
tains  that  they  appear  to  reach  the  sky,  and  covered  with 
green  trees.  Without  doubt  there  are  mountains  here 
which  are  higher  than  the  island  of  Tenerife  in  the  Cana 
ries,  which  is  held  to  be  the  highest  yet  known.  On  this  side 


178  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  the  island  of  Santo  Tomas,  at  a  distance  of  a  league,  there 
is  another  islet,  and  beyond  it  another,  forming  wonderful  har 
bors  j  though  a  good  lookout  must  be  kept  for  sunken  rocks. 
The  Admiral  also  saw  villages,  and  smoke  made  by  them. 

Friday,  2ist  of  December. 

To-day  the  Admiral  went  with  the  ship's  boats  to  ex 
amine  this  port,  which  he  found  to  be  such  that  it  could 
not  be  equalled  by  any  he  had  yet  seen;  but,  having  praised 
the  others  so  much,  he  knew  not  how  to  express  himself, 
fearing  that  he  will  be  looked  upon  as  one  who  goes  beyond 
the  truth.  He  therefore  contents  himself  with  saying  that 
he  had  old  sailors  with  him  who  say  the  same.  All  the 
praises  he  has  bestowed  on  the  other  ports  are  true,  and  that 
this  is  better  than  any  of  them  is  equally  true.  He  further 
says :  u  I  have  traversed  the  sea  for  twenty-three  years,  with 
out  leaving  it  for  any  time  worth  counting,  and  I  saw  all 
in  the  east  and  the  west,  going  on  the  route  of  the  north, 
which  is  England,  and  I  have  been  to  Guinea,  but  in  all 
those  parts  there  will  not  be  -  found  perfection  of  har 
bors  .  .  .  always  found  .  .  .  better  than  an 
other;  that  I,  with  good  care,  saw  written;  and  I  again 
affirm  it  was  well  written,  that  this  one  is  better  than  all 
others,  and  will  hold  all  the  ships  of  the  world,  secured 
with  the  oldest  cables."  From  the  entrance  to  the  end  is  a 
distance  of  five  leagues.  The  Admiral  saw  some  very  well 
cultivated  lands,  although  they  are  all  so,  and  he  sent  two 
of  the  boat's  crew  to  the  top  of  a  hill  to  see  if  any  village 
was  near,  for  none  could  be  seen  from  the  sea.  At  about 
ten  o'clock  that  night,  certain  Indians  came  in  a  canoe  to 
see  the  Admiral  and  the  Christians,  and  they  were  given 
presents,  with  which  they  were  much  pleased.  The  two 
men  returned,  and  reported  that  they  had  seen  a  very  large 
village  at  a  short  distance  from  the  sea.  The  Admiral 
ordered  the  boat  to  row  towards  the  place  where  the  vil 
lage  was  until  they  came  near  the  land,  when  he  saw 
two  Indians,  who  came  to  the  shore  apparently  in  a  state 


EXPLORATION 


I79 


of  fear.  So  he  ordered  the  boat  to  stop,  and  the  Indians  that 
were  with  the  Admiral  were  told  to  assure  the  two  natives 
that  no  harm  whatever  was  intended  to  them.  Then  they 
came  nearer  the  sea  and  the  Admiral  nearer  the  land.  As 
soon  as  the  natives  had  got  rid  of  their  fear,  so  many  came 
that  they  covered  the  ground,  with  women  and  children, 
giving  a  thousand  thanks.  They  ran  hither  and  thither  to 
bring  us  bread  made  of  yams,  which  they  call  ajes,  which  is 
very  white  and  good,  and  water  in  calabashes,  and  in  earthen 
jars  made  like  those  of  Spain,  and  everything  else  they  had 
and  that  they  thought  the  Admiral  could  want,  and  all  so 
willingly  and  cheerfully  that  it  was  wonderful.  "  It  cannot 
be  said  that,  because  what  they  gave  was  worth  little,  there 
fore  they  gave  liberally,  because  those  who  had  pieces  of 
gold  gave  as  freely  as  those  who  had  a  calabash  of  water; 
and  it  is  easy  to  know  when  a  thing  is  given  with  a  hearty 
desire  to  give."  These  are  the  Admiral's  words.  "These 
people  have  no  spears  nor  any  other  arms,  nor  have  any  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  whole  island,  which  I  believe  to  be 
very  large.  They  go  naked  as  when  their  mothers  bore 
them,  both  men  and  women.  In  Cuba  and  the  other 
islands  the  women  wear  a  small  clout  of  cotton  in  front,  as 
well  as  the  men,  as  soon  as  they  have  passed  the  age  of 
twelve  years,  but  here  neither  old  nor  young  do  so.  Also, 
the  men  in  the  other  islands  jealously  hide  their  women 
from  the  Christians,  but  here  they  do  not."  The  women 
have  very  beautiful  bodies,  and  they  were  the  first  to  come 
and  give  thanks  to  heaven,  and  to  bring  what  they  had, 
especially  things  to  eat,  such  as  bread  of  ajes  [yams] ,  nuts, 
and  four  or  five  kinds  of  fruits,  some  of  which  the  Admiral 
ordered  to  be  preserved,  to  be  taken  to  the  Sovereigns.  He 
says  that  the  women  did  not  do  less  in  other  ports  before 
they  were  hidden ;  and  he  always  gave  orders  that  none  of 
his  people  should  annoy  them ;  that  nothing  should  be  taken 
against  their  wills,  and  that  everything  that  was  taken  should 
be  paid  for.  Finally,  he  says  that  no  one  could  believe  that 
there  could  be  such  good-hearted  people,  so  free  to  give, 


180  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

anxious  to  let  the  Christians  have  all  they  wanted,  and, 
when  visitors  arrived,  running  to  bring  everything  to  them. 
Afterwards  the  Admiral  sent  six  Christians  to  the  village 
to  see  what  it  was  like,  and  the  natives  showed  them  all  the 
honor  they  could  devise,  and  gave  them  all  they  had;  for 
no  doubt  was  any  longer  entertained  that  the  Admiral  and 
all  his  people  had  come  from  heaven;  and  the  same  was 
believed  by  the  Indians  who  were  brought  from  the  other 
islands,  although  they  had  now  been  told  what  they  ought 
to  think.  When  the  six  Christians  had  gone,  some  canoes 
came  with  people  to  ask  the  Admiral  to  come  to  their  village 
when  he  left  the  place  where  he  was.  Canoa  is  a  boat  in 
which  they  navigate,  some  large  and  others  small.  Seeing 
that  this  village  of  the  chief  was  on  the  road,  and  that  many 
people  were  waiting  there  for  him,  the  Admiral  went  there ; 
but,  before  he  could  depart,  an  enormous  crowd  came  to 
the  shore,  men,  women,  and  children,  crying  out  to  him 
not  to  go,  but  to  stay  with  them.  The  messengers  from 
the  other  chief,  who  had  come  to  invite  him,  were  waiting 
with  their  canoes,  that  he  might  not  go  away,  but  come  to 
see  their  chief,  and  so  he  did.  On  arriving  where  the 
chief  was  waiting  for  him  with  many  things  to  eat,  he 
ordered  that  all  the  people  should  sit  down,  and  that  the 
food  should  be  taken  to  the  boats,  where  the  Admiral  was, 
on  the  seashore.  When  he  saw  that  the  Admiral  had 
received  what  he  sent,  all  or  most  of  the  Indians  ran  to  the 
village,  which  was  near,  to  bring  more  food,  parrots,  and 
other  things  they  had,  with  such  frankness  of  heart  that  it 
was  marvellous.  The  Admiral  gave  them  glass  beads,  brass 
trinkets,  and  bells :  not  because  they  asked  for  anything  in 
return,  but  because  it  seemed  right,  and,  above  all,  because 
he  now  looked  upon  them  as  future  Christians,  and  subjects 
of  the  Sovereigns,  as  much  as  the  people  of  Castille.  He 
further  says  that  they  want  nothing  except  to  know  the  lan 
guage  and  be  under  governance;  for  all  they  may  be  told  to 
do  will  be  done  without  any  contradiction.  The  Admiral 
left  this  place  to  go  to  the  ships,  and  the  people,  men, 


EXPLORATION  181 

women,  and  children,  cried  out  to  him  not  to  go,  but  remain 
with  them.  After  the  boats  departed,  several  canoes  full 
of  people  followed  after  them  to  the  ship,  who  were  re 
ceived  with  much  honor,  and  given  to  eat.  There  had 
also  come  before  another  chief  from  the  W.,  and  many 
people  even  came  swimming,  the  ship  being  over  a  good 
half-league  from  the  shore.  I  sent  certain  persons  to  the 
chief,  who  had  gone  back,  to  ask  him  about  these  islands. 
He  received  them  very  well,  and  took  them  to  his  village, 
to  give  them  some  large  pieces  of  gold.  They  arrived  at 
a  large  river,  which  the  Indians  crossed  by  swimming. 
The  Christians  were  unable,  so  they  turned  back.  In  all 
this  district  there  are  very  high  mountains  which  seem  to 
reach  the  sky,  so  that  the  mountain  in  the  island  of  Tenerife 
appears  as  nothing  in  height  and  beauty,  and  they  are  all 
green  with  trees.  Between  them  there  are  very  delicious 
valleys,  and  at  the  end  of  this  port,  to  the  S.,  there  is 
a  valley  so  large  that  the  end  of  it  is  not  visible,  though  no 
mountains  intervene,  so  that  it  seems  to  be  fifteen  or  twenty 
leagues  long.  A  river  flows  through  it,  and  it  is  all  inhab 
ited  and  cultivated,  and  as  green  as  Castille  in  May  or  June; 
but  the  night  contains  fourteen  hours,  the  land  being  so 
far  N.  This  port  is  very  good  for  all  the  winds  that  can 
blow,  being  enclosed  and  deep,  and  the  shores  peopled  by  a 
good  and  gentle  race  without  arms  or  evil  designs.  Any 
ship  may  lie  within  it  without  fear  that  other  ships  will  enter 
at  night  to  attack  her,  because,  although  the  entrance  is  over 
two  leagues  wide,  it  is  protected  by  reefs  of  rocks  which 
are  barely  awash;  and  there  is  only  a  very  narrow  channel 
through  the  reef,  which  looks  as  if  it  had  been  artificially 
made,  leaving  an  open  door  by  which  ships  may  enter.  In 
the  entrance  there  are  seven  fathoms  of  depth  up  to  the  shore 
of  a  small  flat  island,  which  has  a  beach  fringed  with  trees. 
The  entrance  is  on  the  W.  side,  and  a  ship  can  come 
without  fear  until  she  is  close  to  the  rock.  On  the  N.  W. 
side  there  are  three  islands,  and  a  great  river  a  league  from 
the  cape  on  one  side  of  the  port.  It  is  the  best  harbor  in  the 


l%2  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

world,  and  the  Admiral  gave  it  the  name  of  Puerto  de  la 
mar  de  Santo  Tomas,  because  to-day  it  was  that  Saint's  day. 
The  Admiral  called  it  a  sea,  owing  to  its  size. 

Saturday,  22nd  of  December. 

At  dawn  the  Admiral  made  sail  to  shape  a  course  in 
search  of  the  islands  which  the  Indians  had  told  him  con 
tained  much  gold,  some  of  them  having  more  gold  than 
earth.  But  the  weather  was  not  favorable,  so  he  anchored 
again,  and  sent  away  the  boat  to  fish  with  a  net.  The 
lord  of  that  land,  who  had  a  place  near  there,  sent  a  large 
canoe  full  of  people,  including  one  of  his  principal  attend 
ants,  to  invite  the  Admiral  to  come  with  the  ships  to  his 
land,  where  he  would  give  him  all  he  wanted.  The  chief 
sent,  by  this  servant,  a  girdle  which,  instead  of  a  bag,  had 
attached  to  it  a  mask  with  two  large  ears  made  of  beaten 
gold,  the  tongue,  and  the  nose.  These  people  are  very 
open-hearted,  and  whatever  they  are  asked  for  they  give 
most  willingly;  while,  when  they  themselves  ask  for  any 
thing,  they  do  so  as  if  receiving  a  great  favor.  So  says 
the  Admiral.  They  brought  the  canoe  alongside  the  boat, 
and  gave  the  girdle  to  a  boy ;  then  they  came  on  board  with 
their  mission.  It  took  a  good  part  of  the  day  before  they 
could  be  understood.  Not  even  the  Indians  who  were  on 
board  understood  them  well,  because  they  have  some  differ 
ences  of  words  for  the  names  of  things.  At  last  their 
invitation  was  understood  by  signs.  The  Admiral  deter 
mined  to  start  to-morrow,  although  he  did  not  usually  sail 
on  a  Sunday,  owing  to  a  devout  feeling,  and  not  on  account 
of  any  superstition  whatever.  But  in  the  hope  that  these 
people  would  become  Christians  through  the  willingness 
they  show,  and  that  they  will  be  subjects  of  the  Sovereigns 
of  Castille,  and  because  he  now  holds  them  to  be  so,  and 
that  they  may  serve  with  love,  he  wished  and  endeavored 
to  please  them.  Before  leaving,  to-day,  the  Admiral  sent 
six  men  to  a  large  village  three  leagues  to  the  westward, 
because  the  chief  had  come  the  day  before  and  said  that  he 


EXPLORATION  183 

had  some  pieces  of  gold.  When  the  Christians  arrived, 
the  Secretary  of  the  Admiral,  who  was  one  of  them,  took  the 
chief  by  the  hand.  The  Admiral  had  sent  him,  to  prevent 
the  others  from  imposing  upon  the  Indians.  As  the  Indians 
are  so  simple,  and  the  Spaniards  so  avaricious  and  grasping, 
it  does  not  suffice  that  the  Indians  should  give  them  all  they 
want  in  exchange  for  a  bead  or  a  bit  of  glass,  but  the  Span 
iards  would  take  everything  without  any  return  at  all.  The 
Admiral  always  prohibits  this,  although,  with  the  exception 
of  gold,  the  things  given  by  the  Indians  are  of  little  value. 
But  the  Admiral,  seeing  the  simplicity  of  the  Indians,  and 
that  they  will  give  a  piece  of  gold  in  exchange  for  six  beads, 
gave  the  order  that  nothing  should  be  received  from  them 
unless  something  had  been  given  in  exchange.  Thus  the 
chief  took  the  Secretary  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to  his 
house,  followed  by  the  whole  village,  which  was  very  large. 
He  made  his  guests  eat,  and  the  Indians  brought  them  many 
cotton  fabrics,  and  spun  cotton  in  skeins.  In  the  afternoon 
the  chief  gave  them  three  very  fat  geese  and  some  small 
pieces  of  gold.  A  great  number  of  people  went  back  with 
them,  carrying  all  the  things  they  had  got  by  barter,  and 
they  also  carried  the  Spaniards  themselves  across  streams 
and  muddy  places.  The  Admiral  ordered  some  things  to 
be  given  to  the  chief,  and  both  he  and  his  people  were 
very  well  satisfied,  truly  believing  that  the  Christians  had 
come  from  heaven,  so  that  they  considered  themselves  for 
tunate  in  beholding  them.  On  this  day  more  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  canoes  came  to  the  ships,  all  full  of 
people,  and  all  bringing  something,  especially  their  bread  and 
fish,  and  fresh  water  in  earthen  jars.  They  also  brought 
seeds  of  good  kinds,  and  there  was  a  grain  which  they  put 
into  a  porringer  of  water  and  drank  it.  The  Indians  who 
were  on  board  said  that  this  was  very  wholesome. 

Sunday,  23rd  of  December. 

The  Admiral  could  not  go  with  the  ships  to  that  land 
whither  he  had  been   invited   by  the    chief,  because  there 


184  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

was  no  wind.  But  he  sent,  with  the  three  messengers  who 
were  waiting  for  the  boats,  some  people,  including  the  Secre 
tary.  While  they  were  gone,  he  sent  two  of  the  Indians 
he  had  on  board  with  him  to  the  villages  which  were  near 
the  anchorage.  They  returned  to  the  ship  with  a  chief,  who 
brought  the  news  that  there  was  a  great  quantity  of  gold  in 
that  island  of  Espanola,  and  that  people  from  other  parts 
came  to  buy  it.  They  said  that  here  the  Admiral  would 
find  as  much  as  he  wanted.  Others  came,  who  confirmed 
the  statement  that  there  was  much  gold  in  the  island,  and 
explained  the  way  it  was  collected.  The  Admiral  under 
stood  all  this  with  much  difficulty;  nevertheless,  he  con 
cluded  that  there  was  a  very  great  quantity  in  those  parts, 
and  that,  if  he  could  find  the  place  whence  it  was  got,  there 
would  be  abundance;  and,  if  not,  there  would  be  nothing. 
He  believed  there  must  be  a  great  deal,  because,  during  the 
three  days  that  he  had  been  in  that  port,  he  had  got  several 
pieces  of  gold,  and  he  could  not  believe  that  it  was  brought 
from  another  land.  "  Our  Lord,  who  holds  all  things  in 

*  O 

his  hands,  look  upon  me,  and  grant  what  shall  be  for  his 
service."  These  are  the  Admiral's  words.  He  says  that, 
according  to  his  reckoning,  a  thousand  people  had  visited 
the  ship,  all  of  them  bringing  something.  Before  they  come 
alongside,  at  a  distance  of  a  crossbow-shot,  they  stand  up  in 
the  canoe  with  what  they  bring  in  their  hands,  crying  out: 
"Take  it!  take  it!"  He  also  reckoned  that  five  hundred 
came  to  the  ship  swimming,  because  they  had  no  canoes, 
the  ship  being  near  a  league  from  the  shore.  Among  the 
visitors,  five  chiefs  had  come,  sons  of  chiefs,  with  all  their 
families  of  wives  and  children,  to  see  the  Christians.  The 
Admiral  ordered  something  to  be  given  to  all,  because  such 
gifts  were  all  well  employed.  "  May  our  Lord  favor  me 
by  his  clemency,  that  I  may  find  this  gold,  I  mean  the 
mine  of  gold  which  I  hold  to  be  here,  many  saying  that 
they  know  it."  These  are  his  words.  The  boats  arrived 
at  night,  and  said  that  there  was  a  grand  road  as  far  as  they 
went,  and  they  found  many  canoes,  with  people  who  went 


EXPLORATION 


185 


to  see  the  Admiral  and  the  Christians,  at  the  mountain  of 
Caribatan.  They  held  it  for  certain  that,  if  the  Christmas 
festival  was  kept  in  that  port,  all  the  people  of  the  island 
would  come,  which  they  calculated  to  be  larger  than  Eng 
land.  All  the  people  went  with  them  to  the  village,  which 
they  said  was  the  largest,  and  the  best  laid  out  with  streets, 
of  any  they  had  seen.  The  Admiral  says  it  is  a  part  of  the 
Punta  Santa,  almost  three  leagues  S.  E.  The  canoes  go 
very  fast  with  paddles;  so  they  went  ahead  to  apprise  the 
cacique,  as  they  call  the  chief.  They  also  have  another 
greater  name — Nitayno;  but  it  was  not  clear  whether  they 
used  it  for  lord,  or  governor,  or  judge.  At  last  the  cacique 
came  to  them,  and  joined  them  in  the  square,  which  was 
clean  swept,  as  was  all  the  village.  The  population  num 
bered  over  two  thousand  men.  This  king  did  great  honor  to 
the  people  from  the  ship,  and  every  inhabitant  brought  them 
something  to  eat  and  drink.  Afterwards  the  king  gave  each 
of  them  cotton  cloths  such  as  the  women  wear,  with  parrots 
for  the  Admiral,  and  some  pieces  of  gold.  The  people  also 
gave  cloths  and  other  things  from  their  houses  to  the  sailors; 
and  as  for  the  trifles  they  got  in  return,  they  seemed  to  look 
upon  them  as  relics.  When  they  wanted  to  return  in  the 
afternoon,  he  asked  them  to  stay  until  the  next  day,  and  all 
the  people  did  the  same.  When  they  saw  that  the  Span 
iards  were  determined  to  go,  they  accompanied  them  most 
of  the  way,  carrying  the  gifts  of  the  cacique  on  their  backs 
as  far  as  the  boats,  which  had  been  left  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river. 

Monday,  24th  of  December. 

Before  sunrise  ^he  Admiral  got  under  weigh  with  the 
land  breeze.  Among  the  numerous  Indians  who  had  come 
to  the  ship  yesterday,  and  had  made  signs  that  there  was 
gold  in  the  island,  naming  the  places  whence  it  was  col 
lected,  the  Admiral  noticed  one  who  seemed  more  fully 
informed,  or  who  spoke  with  more  willingness,  so  he  asked 
him  to  come  with  the  Christians  and  show  them  the  position 


1 86  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  the  gold  mines.  This  Indian  has  a  companion  or  rela 
tion  with  him,  and  among  other  places  they  mentioned 
where  gold  was  found,  they  named  Cipango,  which  they 
called  Civao.  Here  they  said  that  there  was  a  great  quan 
tity  of  gold,  and  that  the  cacique  carried  banners  of  beaten 
gold.  But  they  added  that  it  was  very  far  off  to  the  eastward. 

Here  the  Admiral  addresses  the  following  words  to  the 
Sovereigns:  "Your  Highnesses  may  believe  that  there  is 
no  better  nor  gentler  people  in  the  world.  Your  High 
nesses  ought  to  rejoice  that  they  will  soon  become  Chris 
tians,  and  that  they  will  be  taught  the  good  customs  of 
your  kingdom.  A  better  race  there  cannot  be,  and  both 
the  people  and  the  lands  are  in  such  quantity  that  I  know 
not  how  to  write  it.  I  have  spoken  in  the  superlative 
degree  of  the  country  and  the  people  of  Juana,  which  they 
call  Cuba,  but  there  is  as  much  difference  between  them 
and  this  island  and  people  as  between  day  and  night. 
I  believe  that  no  one  who  should  see  them  could  say  less 
than  I  have  said,  and  I  repeat  that  the  things  and  the  great 
villages  of  this  island  of  Espanola,  which  they  call  Bohio, 
are  wonderful.  All  here  have  a  loving  manner  and  gentle 
speech,  unlike  the  others,  who  seem  to  be  menacing  when 
they  speak.  Both  men  and  women  are  of  good  stature^ 
and  not  black.  It  is  true  that  they  all  paint,  some  with 
black,  others  with  other  colors,  but  most  with  red.  I 
know  that  they  are  tanned  by  the  sun,  but  this  does 
not  affect  them  much.  Their  houses  and  villages  are 
pretty,  each  with  a  chief,  who  acts  as  their  judge,  and 
who  is  obeyed  by  them.  All  these  lords  use  few  words, 
and  have  excellent  manners.  Most  of  their  orders  are 
given  by  a  sign  with  the  hand,  which  is  understood  with 
surprising  quickness."  All  these  are  the  words  of  the 
Admiral. 

He  who  would  enter  the  sea  of  Santo  Tome  ought  to 
stand  for  a  good  league  across  the  mouth  to  a  flat  island  in 
the  middle,  which  was  named  La  Amiga,  pointing  her  head 
towards  it.  When  the  ship  is  within  a  stone's  throw  of  it 


EXPLORATION  187 

the  course  should  be  altered  to  make  for  the  eastern  shore, 
leaving  the  W.  side,  and  this  shore,  and  not  the  other, 
should  be  kept  on  board,  because  a  great  reef  runs  out  from 
the  W.,  and  even  beyond  that  there  are  three  sunken 
rocks.  This  reef  comes  within  a  lombard-shot  of  the 
Amiga  island.  Between  them  there  are  seven  fathoms  at 
least,  with  a  gravelly  bottom.  Within,  a  harbor  will  be 
found  large  enough  for  all  the  ships  in  the  world,  which 
would  be  there  without  need  of  cables.  There  is  another 
reef,  with  sunken  rocks,  on  the  E.  side  of  the  island  of 
Amiga,  which  are  extensive  and  run  out  to  sea,  reaching 
within  two  leagues  of  the  cape.  But  it  appeared  that 
between  them  there  was  an  entrance,  within  two  lombard- 
shots  of  Amiga,  on  the  W.  side  of  Monte  Caribatan,  where 
there  was  a  good  and  very  large  port. 

Tuesday,  25th  of  December.      Christmas. 

Navigating  yesterday,  with  little  wind,  from  Santo  Tome 
to  Punta  Santa,  and  being  a  league  from  it,  at  about  eleven 
o'clock  at  night  the  Admiral  went  down  to  get  some  sleep, 
for  he  had  not  had  any  rest  for  two  days  and  a  night.  As 
it  was  calm,  the  sailor  who  steered  the  ship  thought  he 
would  go  to  sleep,  leaving  the  tiller  in  charge  of  a  boy. 
The  Admiral  had  forbidden  this  throughout  the  voyage, 
whether  it  was  blowing  or  whether  it  was  calm.  The  boys 
were  never  to  be  intrusted  with  the  helm.  The  Admiral 
had  no  anxiety  respecting  sandbanks  and  rocks,  because, 
when  he  sent  the  boats  to  that  king  on  Sunday,  they  had 
passed  to  the  E.  of  Punta  Santa  at  least  three  leagues  and 
a  half,  and  the  sailors  had  seen  all  the  coast,  and  the  rocks 
there  are  from  Punta  Santa,  for  a  distance  of  three  leagues 
to  the  E.  S.  E.  They  saw  the  course  that  should  be  taken, 
which  had  not  been  the  case  before  during  this  voyage. 
It  pleased  our  Lord  that,  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  when 
the  Admiral  had  retired  to  rest,  and  when  all  had  fallen 
asleep,  seeing  that  it  was  a  dead  calm  and  the  sea  like  glass, 
the  tiller  being  in  the  hands  of  a  boy,  the  current  carried 


1 88  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  ship  on  one  of  the  sandbanks.  If  it  had  not  been 
night  the  bank  could  have  been  seen,  and  the  surf  on  it 
could  be  heard  for  a  good  league.  But  the  ship  ran  upon 
it  so  gently  that  it  could  scarcely  be  felt.  The  boy,  who 
felt  the  helm  and  heard  the  rush  of  the  sea,  cried  out.  The 
Admiral  at  once  came  up,  and  so  quickly  that  no  one  had 
felt  that  the  ship  was  aground.  Presently  the  master  of 
the  ship,  whose  watch  it  was,  came  on  deck.  The  Ad 
miral  ordered  him  and  others  to  launch  the  boat,  which  was 
on  the  poop,  and  lay  out  an  anchor  astern.  The  master, 
with  several  others,  got  into  the  boat,  and  the  Admiral 
thought  that  they  did  so  with  the  object  of  obeying  his 
orders.  But  they  did  so  in  order  to  take  refuge  with  the 
caravel,  which  was  half  a  league  to  leeward.  The  caravel 
would  not  allow  them  to  come  on  board,  acting  judiciously, 
and  they  therefore  returned  to  the  ship;  but  the  caravel's 
boat  arrived  first.  When  the  Admiral  saw  that  his  own 
people  fled  in  this  way,  the  water  rising  and  the  ship  being 
across  the  sea,  seeing  no  other  course,  he  ordered  the  masts 
to  be  cut  away  and  the  ship  to  be  lightened  as  much  as 
possible,  to  see  if  she  would  come  off.  But,  as  the  water 
continued  to  rise,  nothing  more  could  be  done.  Her  side 
fell  over  across  the  sea,  but  it  was  nearly  calm.  Then  the 
timbers  opened,  and  the  ship  was  lost.  The  Admiral  went 
to  the  caravel  to  arrange  about  the  reception  of  the  ship's 
crew,  and  as  a  light  breeze  was  blowing  from  the  land,  and 
continued  during  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  while  it  was 
unknown  how  far  the  bank  extended,  he  hove  her  to  until 
daylight.  He  then  went  back  to  the  ship,  inside  the  reef; 
first  having  sent  a  boat  on  shore  with  Diego  de  Arana  of 
Cordova,  Alguazil  of  the  Fleet,  and  Pedro  Gutierrez,  gen 
tleman  of  the  King's  bed  chamber,  to  inform  the  king,  who 
had  invited  the  ships  to  come  on  the  previous  Saturday. 
His  town  was  about  a  league  and  a  half  from  the  sand 
bank.  They  reported  that  he  wept  when  he  heard  the 
news,  and  he  sent  all  his  people  with  large  canoes  to  un 
load  the  ship.  This  was  done,  and  they  landed  all  there 


EXPLORATION  189 

was  between  decks  in  a  very  short  time.  Such  was  the 
great  promptitude  and  diligence  shown  by  that  king.  He 
himself,  with  his  brothers  and  relations,  were  actively  assist 
ing  as  well  in  the  ship  as  in  the  care  of  the  property  when 
it  was  landed,  that  all  might  be  properly  guarded.  Now  and 
then  he  sent  one  of  his  relations  weeping  to  the  Admiral,  to 
console  him,  saying  that  he  must  not  feel  sorrow  or  annoy 
ance,  for  he  would  supply  all  that  was  needed.  The  Ad 
miral  assured  the  Sovereigns  that  there  could  not  have  been 
such  good  watch  kept  in  any  part  of  Castille,  for  that  there 
was  not  even  a  needle  missing.  He  ordered  that  all  the 
property  should  be  placed  by  some  houses  which  the  king 
placed  at  his  disposal,  until  they  were  emptied,  when  every 
thing  would  be  stowed  and  guarded  in  them.  Armed 
men  were  placed  round  the  stores  to  watch  all  night. 
"The  king  and  all  his  people  wept.  They  are  a  loving 
people,  without  covetousness,  and  fit  for  anything;  and 
I  assure  your  Highnesses  that  there  is  no  better  land  nor 
people.  They  love  their  neighbors  as  themselves,  and 
their  speech  is  the  sweetest  and  gentlest  in  the  world, 
and  always  with  a  smile.  Men  and  women  go  as  naked  as 
when  their  mothers  bore  them.  Your  Highnesses  should 
believe  that  they  have  very  good  customs  among  them 
selves.  The  king  is  a  man  of  remarkable  presence,  and 
with  a  certain  self-contained  manner  that  is  a  pleasure  to 
see.  They  have  good  memories,  wish  to  see  everything, 
and  ask  the  use  of  what  they  see."  All  this  is  written  by 
the  Admiral. 

Wednesday,  26th  of  December. 

To-day,  at  sunrise,  the  king  of  that  land  came  to  the 
caravel  Nina,  where  the  Admiral  was,  and  said  to  him, 
almost  weeping,  that  he  need  not  be  sorry,  for  that  he 
would  give  him  all  he  had ;  that  he  had  placed  two  large 
houses  at  the  disposal  of  the  Christians  who  were  on  shore, 
and  that  he  would  give  more  if  they  were  required,  and  as 
many  canoes  as  could  load  from  the  ship  and  discharge  on 


190 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


shore,  with  as  many  people  as  were  wanted.  This  had  all 
been  done  yesterday,  without  so  much  as  a  needle  being 
missed.  "So  honest  are  they,"  says  the  Admiral,  "without 
any  covetousness  for  the  goods  of  others,  and  so  above  all 
was  that  virtuous  king."  While  the  Admiral  was  talking 
to  him,  another  canoe  arrived  from  a  different  place,  bring 
ing  some  pieces  of  gold,  which  the  people  in  the  canoe 
wanted  to  exchange  for  a  hawk's  bell;  for  there  was  noth 
ing  they  desired  more  than  these  bells.  They  had  scarcely 
come  alongside  when  they  called  and  held  up  the  gold, 
saying  Cbuq  chuq  for  the  bells,  for  they  are  quite  mad  about 
them.  After  the  king  had  seen  this,  and  when  the  canoes 
which  came  from  other  places  had  departed,  he  called  the 
Admiral  and  asked  him  to  give  orders  that  one  of  the  bells 
was  to  be  kept  for  another  day,  when  he  would  bring  four 
pieces  of  gold  the  size  of  a  man's  hand.  The  Admiral 
rejoiced  to  hear  this,  and  afterwards  a  sailor,  who  came 
from  the  shore,  told  him  that  it  was  wonderful  what  pieces 
of  gold  the  men  on  shore  were  getting  in  exchange  for 
next  to  nothing.  For  a  needle  they  got  a  piece  of  gold 
worth  two  castellanos,  and  that  this  was  nothing  to  what  it 
would  be  within  a  month.  The  king  rejoiced  much  when 
he  saw  that  the  Admiral  was  pleased.  He  understood  that 
his  friend  wanted  much  gold,  and  he  said,  by  signs,  that  he 
knew  where  there  was,  in  the  vicinity,  a  very  large  quan 
tity;  so  that  he  must  be  in  good  heart,  for  he  should  have 
as  much  as  he  wanted.  He  gave  some  account  of  it,  espe 
cially  saying  that  in  Cipango,  which  they  call  Civao,  it  is 
so  abundant  that  it  is  of  no  value,  and  that  they  will  bring 
it,  although  there  is  also  much  more  in  the  island  of  Espa- 
nola,  which  they  call  Bohio,  and  in  the  province  of  Caritaba. 
The  king  dined  on  board  the  caravel  with  the  Admiral  and 
afterwards  went  on  shore,  where  he  received  the  Admiral 
with  much  honor.  He  gave  him  a  collation  consisting  of 
three  or  four  kinds  of  yams,  with  shellfish  and  game,  and 
other  viands  they  have,  besides  the  bread  they  call  cazavt. 
He  then  took  the  Admiral  to  see  some  groves  of  trees  near 


EXPLORATION 


191 


the  houses,  and  they  were  accompanied  by  at  least  a  thou 
sand  people,  all  naked.  The  lord  had  on  a  shirt  and  a  pair 
of  gloves,  given  to  him  by  the  Admiral,  and  he  was  more 
delighted  with  the  gloves  than  with  anything  else.  In  his 
manner  of  eating,  both  as  regards  the  high-bred  air  and 
peculiar  cleanliness,  he  clearly  showed  his  nobility.  After 
he  had  eaten,  he  remained  some  time  at  table,  and  they 
brought  him  certain  herbs,  with  which  he  rubbed  his  hands. 
The  Admiral  thought  that  this  was  done  to  make  them  soft, 
and  they  also  gave  him  water  for  his  hands.  After  the 
meal  he  took  the  Admiral  to  the  beach.  The  Admiral  then 
sent  for  a  Turkish  bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows,  and  took  a 
shot  at  a  man  of  his  company,  who  had  been  warned.  The 
chief,  who  knew  nothing  about  arms,  as  they  neither  have 
them  nor  use  them,  thought  this  a  wonderful  thing.  He, 
however,  began  to  talk  of  those  of  Caniba,  whom  they  call 
Caribes.  They  come  to  capture  the  natives,  and  have  bows 
and  arrows  without  iron,  of  which  there  is  no  memory  in 
any  of  these  lands,  nor  of  steel,  nor  any  other  metal,  except 
gold  and  copper.  Of  copper  the  Admiral  had  only  seen  very 
little.  The  Admiral  said,  by  signs,  that  the  Sovereigns  of 
Castille  would  order  the  Caribs  to  be  destroyed,  and  that  all 
should  be  taken  with  their  heads  tied  together.  He  ordered 
a  lombard  and  a  hand  gun  to  be  fired  off,  and  seeing  the 
effect  caused  by  its  force  and  what  the  shots  penetrated, 
the  king  was  astonished.  When  his  people  heard  the  ex 
plosion  they  all  fell  on  the  ground.  They  brought  the 
Admiral  a  large  mask,  which  had  pieces  of  gold  for  the  eyes 
and  ears  and  in  other  parts,  and  this  they  gave,  with  other 
trinkets  of  gold  that  the  same  king  had  put  on  the  head  and 
round  the  neck  of  the  Admiral,  and  of  other  Christians,  to 
whom  they  also  gave  many  pieces.  The  Admiral  received 
much  pleasure  and  consolation  from  these  things,  which 
tempered  the  anxiety  and  sorrow  he  felt  at  the  loss  of  the 
ship.  He  knew  our  Lord  had  caused  the  ship  to  stop  here, 
that  a  settlement  might  be  formed.  u  From  this,"  he  says, 
"originated  so  many  things  that,  in  truth,  the  disaster  was 


10,2  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

really  a  piece  of  good  fortune.  For  it  is  certain  that,  if 
I  had  not  lost  the  ship,  I  should  have  gone  on  without 
anchoring  in  this  place,  which  is  within  a  great  bay,  having 
two  or  three  reefs  of  rock.  I  should  not  have  left  people 
in  the  country  during  this  voyage,  nor  even,  if  I  had  desired 
to  leave  them,  should  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  so  much 
information,  nor  such  supplies  and  provisions  for  a  fortress. 
And  true  it  is  that  many  people  had  asked  me  to  give  them 
leave  to  remain.  Now  I  have  given  orders  for  a  tower  and 
a  fort,  both  well  built,  and  a  large  cellar,  not  because  I 
believe  that  such  defences  will  be  necessary.  I  believe  that 
with  the  force  I  have  with  me  I  could  subjugate  the  whole 
island,  which  I  believe  to  be  larger  than  Portugal,  and  the 
population  double.  But  they  are  naked  and  without  arms, 
and  hopelessly  timid.  Still,  it  is  advisable  to  build  this 
tower,  being  so  far  from  your  Highnesses.  The  people  may 
thus  know  the  skill  of  the  subjects  of  your  Highnesses,  and 
what  they  can  do;  and  will  obey  them  with  love  and  fear. 
So  they  make  preparations  to  build  the  fortress,  with  pro 
vision  of  bread  and  wine  for  more  than  a  year,  with  seeds 
for  sowing,  the  ship's  boat,  a  caulker  and  carpenter,  a 
gunner  and  cooper.  Many  among  these  men  have  a  great 
desire  to  serve  your  Highnesses  and  to  please  me,  by  finding 
out  where  the  mine  is  whence  the  gold  is  brought.  Thus 
everything  is  got  in  readiness  to  begin  the  work.  Above 
all,  it  was  so  calm  that  there  was  scarcely  wind  nor  wave 
when  the  ship  ran  aground."  This  is  what  the  Admiral 
says;  and  he  adds  more  to  show  that  it  was  great  good 
luck,  and  the  settled  design  of  God,  that  the  ship  should  be 
lost  in  order  that  people  might  be  left  behind.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  the  treachery  of  the  master  and  his  boat's  crew, 
who  were  all  or  mostly  his  countrymen,  in  neglecting  to 
lay  out  the  anchor  so  as  to  haul  the  ship  off  in  obedience 
to  the  Admiral's  orders,  she  would  have  been  saved.  In 
that  case,  the  same  knowledge  of  the  land  as  has  been 
gained  in  these  days  would  not  have  been  secured,  for  the 
Admiral  always  proceeded  with  the  object  of  discovering, 


EXPLORATION  193 

and  never  intended  to  stop  more  than  a  day  at  any  one 
place,  unless  he  was  detained  by  the  wind.  Still,  the  ship 
was  very  heavy  and  unsuited  for  discovery.  It  was  the 
people  of  Palos  who  obliged  him  to  take  such  a  ship,  by  not 
complying  "  with  what  they  had  promised  to  the  King  and 
Queen,  namely,  to  supply  suitable  vessels  for  this  expedi 
tion.  This  they  did  not  do.  Of  all  that  there  was  on  board 
the  ship,  not  a  needle,  nor  a  board,  nor  a  nail  was  lost,  for 
she  remained  as  whole  as  when  she  sailed,  except  that  it 
was  necessary  to  cut  away  and  level  down  in  order  to  get 
out  the  jars  and  merchandise,  which  were  landed  and  care 
fully  guarded."  He  trusted  in  God  that,  when  he  returned 
from  Spain,  according  to  his  intention,  he  would  find  a  ton 
of  gold  collected  by  barter  by  those  he  was  to  leave  behind, 
and  that  they  would  have  found  the  mine,  and  spices  in 
such  quantities  that  the  Sovereigns  would,  in  three  years,  be 
able  to  undertake  and  fit  out  an  expedition  to  go  and  con 
quer  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  "Thus,"  he  says,  "I  protest  to 
your  Highnesses  that  all  the  profits  of  this  my  enterprise 
may  be  spent  in  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem.  Your  High 
nesses  may  laugh,  and  say  that  it  is  pleasing  to  you,  and 
that,  without  this,  you  entertain  that  desire."  These  are 
the  Admiral's  words. 

Thursday,  2/th  of  December. 

The  king  of  that  land  came  alongside  the  caravel  at  sun 
rise,  and  said  that  he  had  sent  for  gold,  and  that  he  would 
collect  all  he  could  before  the  Admiral  departed;  but  he 
begged  him  not  to  go.  The  king  and  one  of  his  brothers, 
with  another  very  intimate  relation,  dined  with  the  Admiral, 
and  the  two  latter  said  they  wished  to  go  to  Castille  with 
him.  At  this  time  the  news  came  that  the  caravel  Pinta 
was  in  a  river  at  the  end  of  this  island.  Presently  the 
cacique  sent  a  canoe  there,  and  the  Admiral  sent  a  sailor  in 
it.  For  it  was  wonderful  how  devoted  the  cacique  was  to 
the  Admiral.  The  necessity  was  now  evident  of  hurrying 
on  preparations  for  the  return  to  Castille. 


10,4  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Friday,  28th  of  December. 

The  Admiral  went  on  shore  to  give  orders  and  hurry  on 
the  work  of  building  the  fort,  and  to  settle  what  men  should 
remain  behind.  The  king,  it  would  seem,  had  watched  him 
getting  into  the  boat,  and  quickly  went  into  his  house,  dis 
simulating,  sending  one  of  his  brothers  to  receive  the  Ad 
miral,  and  conduct  him  to  one  of  the  houses  that  had  been 
set  aside  for  the  Spaniards,  which  was  the  largest  and  best 
in  the  town.  In  it  there  was  a  couch  made  of  palm  mat 
ting,  where  they  sat  down.  Afterwards  the  brother  sent  an 
attendant  to  say  that  the  Admiral  was  there,  as  if  the  king 
did  not  know  that  he  had  come.  The  Admiral,  however, 
believed  that  this  was  a  feint  in  order  to  do  him  more 
honor.  The  attendant  gave  the  message  and  the  cacique 
came  in  great  haste,  and  put  a  large  soft  piece  of  gold  he 
had  in  his  hand  round  the  Admiral's  neck.  They  re 
mained  together  until  the  evening,  arranging  what  had  to 
be  done. 

Saturday,  2()th  of  December. 

A  very  youthful  nephew  of  the  king  came  to  the  caravel 
at  sunrise,  who  showed  a  good  understanding  and  disposi 
tion.  As  the  Admiral  was  always  working  to  find  out  the 
origin  of  the  gold,  he  asked  every  one,  for  he  could  now 
understand  somewhat  by  signs.  This  youth  told  him  that, 
at  a  distance  of  four  days'  journey,  there  was  an  island  to 
the  eastward  called  Guarionex,  and  others  called  Macorix, 
Mayonic,  Fuma,  Civao,  and  Coroay,  in  which  there  was  plenty 
of  gold.  The  Admiral  wrote  these  names  down,  and  now 
understood  what  had  been  said  by  a  brother  of  the  king, 
who  was  annoyed  with  him,  as  the  Admiral  understood. 
At  other  times  the  Admiral  had  suspected  that  the  king  had 
worked  against  his  knowing  where  the  gold  had  its  origin 
and  was  collected,  that  he  might  not  go  away  to  barter  in 
another  part  of  the  island.  For  there  are  such  a  number 
of  places  in  this  same  island  that  it  is  wonderful.  After 
nightfall  the  king  sent  a  large  mask  of  gold,  and  asked 


EXPLORAriON 

for  a  washhand  basin  and  jug.  The  Admiral  thought  he 
wanted  them  for  patterns  to  copy  from,  and  therefore  sent 
them. 

Sunday,  3Oth  of  December. 

The  Admiral  went  on  shore  to  dinner,  and  came  at  a 
time  when  five  chiefs  had  arrived,  all  with  their  crowns,  who 
were  subject  to  this  king,  named  Guacanagari.  They  repre 
sented  a  very  good  state  of  affairs,  and  the  Admiral  says 
to  the  Sovereigns  that  it  would  have  given  them  pleasure  to 
see  the  manner  of  their  arrival.  On  landing,  the  Admiral 
was  received  by  the  king,  who  led  him  by  the  arms  to 
the  same  house  where  he  was  yesterday,  where  there  were 
chairs,  and  a  couch  on  which  the  Admiral  sat.  Presently 
the  king  took  the  crown  off  his  head  and  put  it  on  the  Ad 
miral's  head,  and  the  Admiral  took  from  his  neck  a  collar  of 
beautiful  beads  of  several  different  colors,  which  looked  very 
well  in  all  its  parts,  and  put  it  on  the  king.  He  also  took 
off  a  cloak  of  fine  material,  in  which  he  had  dressed  him 
self  that  day,  and  dressed  the  king  in  it,  and  sent  for  some 
colored  boots,  which  he  put  on  his  feet,  and  he  put  a  large 
silver  ring  on  his  finger,  because  he  had  heard  that  he  had 
admired  greatly  a  silver  ornament  worn  by  one  of  the  sailors. 
The  king  was  highly  delighted  and  well  satisfied,  and  two 
of  those  chiefs  who  were  with  him  came  with  him  to  where 
the  Admiral  was,  and  each  gave  him  a  large  piece  of  gold. 
At  this  time  an  Indian  came  and  reported  that  it  was  two 
days  since  he  left  the  caravel  Pinta  in  a  port  to  the  east 
ward.  The  Admiral  returned  to  the  caravel,  and  Vicente 
Anes,  the  captain,  said  that  he  had  seen  the  rhubarb  plant, 
and  that  they  had  it  on  the  island  Amiga,  which  is  at  the 
entrance  of  the  sea  of  Santo  Tome,  six  leagues  off,  and  that 
he  had  recognized  the  branches  and  roots.  They  say 
that  rhubarb  forms  small  branches  above  ground,  and  fruit 
like  green  mulberries,  almost  dry,  and  the  stalk,  near  the 
root,  is  as  yellow  and  delicate  as  the  best  color  for  painting, 
and  underground  the  roots  grow  like  a  large  pear. 


1 9  6  DISCOVER  T  AND  EXPL  OR  A  riON 

Monday,  3ist  of  December. 

To-day  the  Admiral  was  occupied  in  seeing  that  water 
and  fuel  were  taken  on  board  for  the  voyage  to  Spain,  to 
give  early  notice  to  the  Sovereigns,  that  they  might  despatch 
ships  to  complete  the  discoveries.  For  now  the  business  ap 
peared  to  be  so  great  and  important  that  the  Admiral  was 
astonished.  He  did  not  wish  to  go  until  he  had  examined 
all  the  land  to  the  eastward,  and  explored  the  coast,  so  as 
to  know  the  route  to  Castille,  with  a  view  to  sending  sheep 
and  cattle.  But  as  he  had  been  left  with  only  a  single  vessel, 
it  did  not  appear  prudent  to  encounter  the  dangers  that  are 
inevitable  in  making  discoveries.  He  complained  that  all 
this  inconvenience  had  been  caused  by  the  caravel  Pmta 
having  parted  company. 


CHAPTER  VI 

JOURNAL  OF  THE  FIRST  rOTAGE— (Continued) 

THE   TRIUMPHANT    RETURN 

THE  first  Christmas  Day  Columbus  spent  in  the  New 
World  was  not  a  merry  one  for  him,  for  on  December  24th 
occurred  a  disaster  which  might  easily  have  resulted  in 
frustrating  all  his  ambitions.  As  recorded  in  the  journal, 
while  at  Cape  Haitien  the  Santa  Maria  was  wrecked  and 
irreparably  lost :  this  left  Columbus  with  only  the  Nina, 
the  smallest  vessel  of  the  little  fleet.  On  the  2ist  of  No 
vember,  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  had  sailed  away  without 
consulting  the  admiral  or  appointing  a  rendezvous.  His 
evident  intention  was  to  exercise  absolute  control  of  the 
vessel  he  commanded.  Whether  his  further  intention  was 
to  prosecute  the  work  of  exploration  on  his  own  account 
or  to  return  immediately  to  Spain,  the  admiral  could  not 
determine.  This  brings  to  our  attention  one  of  the  difficul 
ties  attending  this  narrative  of  the  first  voyage.  What  were 
the  true  relations  existing  between  Columbus  and  Pinzon  ? 
The  journal  throws  much  blame  on  the  conduct  of  the 
latter.  In  the  entry  for  November  2ist,  it  is  said  that 
Pinzon  took  his  departure  through  avarice.  He  had  re 
ceived  information  from  an  Indian  of  a  locality  where  he  was 
led  to  believe  that  gold  might  be  found  in  greater  quanti 
ties  than  had  yet  come  to  their  knowledge.  This  is  the 
statement  of  Las  Casas.  That  writer — whose  intention  of 
speaking  the  truth  can  be  absolutely  trusted — quotes  Colum- 
bus's  own  words  when  he  says:  "  He  [Pinzon]  has  done 


198  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

and  said  many  other  things  to  me."  Evidently  there  was 
no  little  friction  between  the  admiral  and  his  chief  subordi 
nate.  Some  students  have  explained  this  by  considerations 
which  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  Pinzon,  in  knowledge 
and  importance,  was  far  nearer  the  level  of  Columbus  than 
is  the  position  allotted  him  by  the  traditional  account. — (See 
Vignaud's  Toscanelli  and  Columbus,  233.)  It  is  well  estab 
lished  that  Pinzon  had  been  of  very  great  service  to  Colum 
bus,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  it  was  through  him  alone  that 
the  admiral,  after  having  received  the  commission  of  the 
sovereigns,  was  enabled  to  obtain  the  needed  ships.  But 
that  Pinzon  was  jealously  anxious  to  participate  to  at  least 
an  equal  extent  in  the  honors  of  success  is  equally  clear. 
He  rejoined  Columbus  on  the  6th  of  January,  and  was  able 
to  furnish  but  lame  excuses  for  his  absence.  He  had  in  the 
meantime  discovered  Haiti,  or  San  Domingo.  It  had  been 
the  admiral's  intention  to  continue  his  explorations  on  his 
homeward  course;  but  owing  to  his  distrust  of  the  Pinzons, 
who  seem  to  have  attached  a  party  to  themselves,  he  deter 
mined  to  return  to  Spain  as  quickly  as  possible,  lest  he 
might  be  forestalled.  The  two  vessels  started  together  on 
the  homeward  voyage;  but  during  a  severe  storm  the  Pmta 
sailed  away  from  the  little  Nina,  and  Pinzon  was  the  first 
to  reach  the  coast  of  Spain.  From  Bayona  in  Galicia  he 
sent  word  to  the  sovereigns  of  his  return ;  but  he  was  not 
allowed  by  them  to  approach  the  court  without  Columbus. 
That  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  died  shortly  after  this  is  true; 
but  that  his  death  was  caused  by  chagrin  is  probably  more 
in  accord  with  Las  Casas's  view  of  his  deserts  than  with 
the  real  facts  of  the  case. 

It  is  entirely  characteristic  of  Columbus's  belief  that  he 
was  under  the  direct  guidance  of  Providence  when  he  argues 
a  good  fortune  out  of  the  loss  of  the  Santa  Maria.  Had  it 
not  been  for  this  mishap,  he  said,  he  would  not  have  landed 
at  La  Navidad.  Nor  would  he  have  left  a  company  of 
men  there  who,  as  he  hoped,  would  accumulate  ua  ton 
of  gold,"  by  trading  with  the  natives,  by  the  time  of  his 


THE  TRIUMPHANT:  RETURN  199 

return.  His  piety  is  also  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  had 
long  since  devoted  his  share  of  this  expected  fortune  to  a 
crusade  for  the  deliverance  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  But 
in  this  he  was  doomed  to  bitter  disappointment.  The  his 
tory  of  the  men  whom  he  left  in  the  fortress  constructed 
out  of  the  wreckage  of  the  Santa  Maria  is  not  given  in  the 
journal.  It  is  the  beginning  of  the  sad  story  of  the  occu 
pation  of  the  western  world  by  the  Spaniards.  Unheeding 
the  wise  parting  counsel  of  the  admiral,  the  men  he  left 
courted  and  incurred  their  own  destruction.  The  natives 
among  whom  they  resided  were  wonderfully  peaceful  and 
kindly  disposed.  But  the  Spaniards  were  the  offscourings 
of  their  own  land.  Though  shown  every  favor  by  Gua- 
canagari,  they  brutally  robbed  his  subjects,  gave  free  rein  to 
every  lust,  quarrelled  among  themselves,  became  insubordi 
nate  to  their  commander,  and  finally  a  small  party  wandered 
into  a  territory  ruled  by  a  fierce  Carib  chief.  This  savage, 
after  destroying  the  invading  band,  attacked  La  Navidad, 
and,  though  the  Spaniards  were  assisted  by  the  natives  whom 
they  had  abused,  the  fort  was  razed  to  the  ground  and  every 
white  man  killed. 

The  narrative  of  the  return  voyage,  with  its  perils  by 
storm,  and  hindrances,  friendly  and  otherwise,  by  the  Portu 
guese,  we  will  leave  the  journal  to  tell. 

Tuesday,  1st  of  January,  1493. 

At  midnight  the  Admiral  sent  a  boat  to  the  island  Amiga 
to  bring  the  rhubarb.  It  returned  at  vespers  with  a  bundle 
of  it.  They  did  not  bring  more,  because  they  had  no  spade 
to  dig  it  up  with;  it  was  taken  to  be  shown  to  the  Sover 
eigns.  The  king  of  that  land  said  that  he  had  sent  many 
canoes  for  gold.  The  canoe  returned  that  had  been  sent 
for  tidings  of  the  Pinta,  without  having  found  her.  The 
sailor  who  went  in  the  canoe  said  that  twenty  leagues 
from  there  he  had  seen  a  king  who  wore  two  large  plates 
of  gold  on  his  head,  but  when  the  Indians  in  the  canoe 
spoke  to  him  he  took  them  off.  He  also  saw  much  gold 


200  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

on  other  people.  The  Admiral  considered  that  the  King 
Guacanagari  ought  to  have  prohibited  his  people  from  selling 
gold  to  the  Christians,  in  order  that  it  might  all  pass  through 
his  hands.  But  the  king  knew  the  places,  as  before  stated, 
where  there  was  such  a  quantity  that  it  was  not  valued. 
The  spicery  also  is  extensive,  and  is  worth  more  than  pepper 
or  manegueta.  He  left  instructions  to  those  who  wished  to 
remain  that  they  were  to  collect  as  much  as  they  could. 

Wednesday,  2nd  of  January. 

In  the  morning  the  Admiral  went  on  shore  to  take  leave 
of  the  King  Guacanagari,  and  to  depart  from  him  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  He  gave  him  one  of  his  shirts.  In 
order  to  show  him  the  force  of  the  lombards,  and  what 
effect  they  had,  he  ordered  one  to  be  loaded  and  fired  into 
the  side  of  the  ship  that  was  on  shore,  for  this  was  apposite 
to  the  conversation  respecting  the  Caribs,  with  whom  Gua 
canagari  was  at  war.  The  king  saw  whence  the  lombard- 
shot  came,  and  how  it  passed  through  the  side  of  the  ship 
and  went  far  away  over  the  sea.  The  Admiral  also  ordered 
a  skirmish  of  the  crews  of  the  ships,  fully  armed,  saying  to 
the  cacique  that  he  need  have  no  fear  of  the  Caribs  even 
if  they  should  come.  All  this  was  done  that  the  king  might 
look  upon  the  men  who  were  left  behind  as  friends,  and 
that  he  might  also  have  a  proper  fear  of  them.  The  king 
took  the  Admiral  to  dinner  at  the  house  where  he  was 
established,  and  the  others  who  came  with  him.  The  Ad 
miral  strongly  recommended  to  his  friendship  Diego  de 
Arana,  Pedro  Gutierrez,  and  Rodrigo  Escovedo,  whom  he 
left  jointly  as  his  lieutenants  over  the  people  who  remained 
behind,  that  all  might  be  well  regulated  and  governed  for 
the  service  of  their  Highnesses.  The  cacique  showed 
much  love  for  the  Admiral,  and  great  sorrow  at  his  de 
parture,  especially  when  he  saw  him  go  on  board.  A  rela 
tion  of  that  king  said  to  the  Admiral  that  he  had  ordered  a 
statue  of  pure  gold  to  be  made,  as  big  as  the  Admiral,  and 
that  it  would  be  brought  within  ten  days.  The  Admiral 


THE  TRIUMPHANT:  RETURN  2oi 

embarked  with  the  intention  of  sailing  presently,  but  there 
was  no  wind. 

He  left  on  that  island  of  Espanola,  which  the  Indians  call 
Bohio,  thirty-nine  men  with  the  fortress,  and  he  says  that  they 
were  great  friends  of  Guacanagari.  The  lieutenants  placed 
over  them  were  Diego  de  Arana  of  Cordova,  Pedro  Gutier 
rez,  gentleman  of  the  King's  bed  chamber,  and  Rodrigo 
Escovedo,  a  native  of  Segovia,  nephew  of  Fray  Rodrigo 
Perez,  with  all  the  powers  he  himself  received  from  the 
Sovereigns.  He  left  behind  all  the  merchandise  which  had 
been  provided  for  bartering,  which  was  much,  that  they  might 
trade  for  gold.  He  also  left  bread  for  a  year's  supply,  wine, 
and  much  artillery.  He  also  left  the  ship's  boat,  that  they, 
most  of  them  being  sailors,  might  go,  when  the  time  seemed 
convenient,  to  discover  the  gold  mine,  in  order  that  the 
Admiral,  on  his  return,  might  find  much  gold.  They  were 
also  to  find  a  good  site  for  a  town,  for  this  was  not  altogether 
a  desirable  port;  especially  as  the  gold  the  natives  brought 
came  from  the  east;  also,  the  farther  to  the  east  the  nearer 
to  Spain.  He  also  left  seeds  for  sowing,  and  his  officers, 
the  Alguazil  and  Secretary,  as  well  as  a  ship's  carpenter, 
a  caulker,  a  good  gunner  well  acquainted  with  artillery,  a 
cooper,  a  physician,  and  a  tailor,  all  being  seamen  as  well. 

Thursday,  3rd  of  January. 

The  Admiral  did  not  go  to-day,  because  three  of  the 
Indians  he  had  brought  from  the  islands,  and  who  had  stayed 
behind,  arrived,  and  said  that  the  others  with  their  women 
would  be  there  at  sunrise.  The  sea  also  was  rather  rough, 
so  that  they  could  not  land  from  the  boat.  He  determined 
to  depart  to-morrow,  with  the  grace  of  God.  The  Admiral 
said  that  if  he  had  the  caravel  Pint  a  with  him  he  could 
make  sure  of  shipping  a  ton  of  gold,  because  he  could  then 
follow  the  coasts  of  these  islands,  which  he  would  not  do 
alone,  for  fear  some  accident  might  impede  his  return  to 
Castille,  and  prevent  him  from  reporting  all  he  had  dis 
covered  to  the  Sovereigns.  If  it  was  certain  that  the 


202  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

caravel  Pinta  would  arrive  safely  in  Spain  with  Martin 
Alonso  Pinzon,  he  would  not  hesitate  to  act  as  he  desired; 
but  as  he  had  no  certain  tidings  of  him,  and  as  he  might 
return  and  tell  lies  to  the  Sovereigns,  that  he  might  not 
receive  the  punishment  he  deserved  for  having  done  so 
much  harm  in  having  parted  company  without  permission, 
and  impeded  the  good  service  that  might  have  been  done, 
the  Admiral  could  only  trust  in  our  Lord  that  he  would 
grant  favorable  weather,  and  remedy  all  things. 

Friday,  4th  of  January. 

At  sunrise  the  Admiral  weighed  the  anchor,  with  little 
wind,  and  turned  her  head  N.  W.  to  get  clear  of  the  reef, 
by  another  channel  wider  than  the  one  by  which  he  entered, 
which,  with  others,  is  very  good  for  coming  in  front  of  the 
Villa  de  la  Navidad,  in  all  which  the  least  depth  is  from 
three  to  nine  fathoms.  These  two  channels  run  N.  W. 
and  S.  E.,  and  the  reefs  are  long,  extending  from  the  Cabo 
Santo  to  the  Cabo  de  Sierpe  for  more  than  six  leagues,  and 
then  a  good  three  leagues  out  to  sea.  At  a  league  outside 
Cabo  Santo  there  are  not  more  than  eight  fathoms  of  depth, 
and  inside  that  cape,  on  the  E.  side,  there  are  many  sunken 
rocks,  and  channels  to  enter  between  them.  All  this  coast 
trends  N.  W.  and  S.  E.,  and  it  is  all  beach,  with  the  land 
very  level  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  league  inland.  After 
that  distance  there  are  very  high  mountains,  and  the  whole 
is  peopled  with  a  very  good  race,  as  they  showed  themselves 
to  the  Christians.  Thus  the  Admiral  navigated  to  the  E., 
shaping  a  course  for  a  very  high  mountain,  which  looked 
like  an  island,  but  is  not  one,  being  joined  to  the  mainland 
by  a  very  low  neck.  The  mountain  has  the  shape  of  a 
very  beautiful  tent.  He  gave  it  the  name  of  Monte  Cristi. 
It  is  due  E.  of  Cabo  Santo,  at  a  distance  of  eighteen 
leagues.  That  day,  owing  to  the  light  wind,  they  could 
not  reach  within  six  leagues  of  Monte  Cristi.  He  dis 
covered  four  very  low  and  sandy  islets,  with  a  reef  extend 
ing  N.  W.  and  S.  E.  Inside,  there  is  a  large  gulf,  which 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  203 

extends  from  this  mountain  to  the  S.  E.  at  least  twenty 
leagues,  which  must  all  be  shallow,  with  many  sandbanks, 
and  inside  numerous  rivers  which  are  not  navigable.  At 
the  same  time,  the  sailor  who  was  sent  in  the  canoe  to  get 
tidings  of  the  Plnta  reported  that  he  saw  a  river  into  which 
ships  might  enter.  The  Admiral  anchored  at  a  distance 
of  six  leagues  from  Monte  Cristi,  in  nineteen  fathoms,  and 
so  kept  clear  of  many  rocks  and  reefs.  Here  he  remained 
for  the  night.  The  Admiral  gives  notice  to  those  who 
would  go  to  the  Villa  de  la  Navidad  that,  to  make  Monte 
Cristi,  he  should  stand  off  the  land  two  leagues,  etc.  [But 
as  the  coast  is  now  known  it  is  not  given  here.]  The  Ad 
miral  concluded  that  Cipango  was  in  that  island,  and  that 
it  contained  much  gold,  spices,  mastick,  and  rhubarb. 

Saturday,  5th  of  January. 

At  sunrise  the  Admiral  made  sail  with  the  land  breeze, 
and  saw  that  to  the  S.  S.  E.  of  Monte  Cristi,  between  it  and 
an  island,  there  seemed  to  be  a  good  port  to  anchor  in  that 
night.  He  shaped  an  E.  S.  E.  course,  afterwards  S.  S.  E., 
for  six  leagues  round  the  high  land,  and  found  a  depth  of 
seventeen  fathoms,  with  a  very  clean  bottom,  going  on  for 
three  leagues  with  the  same  soundings.  Afterwards  it  shal 
lowed  to  twelve  fathoms  up  to  the  morro  of  the  mountain, 
and  off  the  morro,  at  one  league,  the  depth  of  nine  fathoms 
was  found,  the  bottom  clean,  and  all  fine  sand.  The  Ad 
miral  followed  the  same  course  until  he  came  between  the 
mountain  and  the  island,  where  he  found  three  and  one- 
half  fathoms  at  low  water,  a  very  good  port,  and  here  he 
anchored.  He  went  in  the  boat  to  the  islet,  where  he  found 
remains  of  fire  and  footmarks,  showing  that  fishermen  had 
been  there.  Here  they  saw  many  stones  painted  in  colors,  or 
a  quarry  of  such  stones,  very  beautifully  worked  by  nature, 
suited  for  the  building  of  a  church  or  other  public  work,  like 
those  he  found  on  the  island  of  San  Salvador.  On  this  islet 
he  also  found  many  plants  of  mastick.  He  says  that  this 
Monte  Cristi  is  very  fine  and  high,  but  accessible,  and  of  a 


204  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

very  beautiful  shape,  all  the  land  round  it  being  low,  a  very 
fine  plain,  from  which  the  height  rises,  looking  at  a  distance 
like  an  island  disunited  from  other  land.  Beyond  the  moun 
tain,  to  the  E.,  he  saw  a  cape  at  a  distance  of  twenty-four 
miles,  which  he  named  Cabo  del  Becerro, whence  to  the  moun 
tain  for  two  leagues  there  are  reefs  of  rocks,  though  it  ap 
peared  as  if  there  were  navigable  channels  between  them. 
It  would,  however,  be  advisable  to  approach  in  daylight,  and 
to  send  a  boat  ahead  to  sound.  From  the  mountain  east 
ward  to  Cabo  del  Becerro,  for  four  leagues,  there  is  a  beach, 
and  the  land  is  low,  but  the  rest  is  very  high,  with  beauti 
ful  mountains  and  some  cultivation.  Inland,  a  chain  of 
mountains  runs  N.  E.  and  S.  W.,  the  most  beautiful  he  had 
seen,  appearing  like  the  hills  of  Cordova.  Some  other  very 
lofty  mountains  appear  in  the  distance  towards  the  S.  and 
S.  E.,  and  very  extensive  green  valleys  with  large  rivers : 
all  this  in  such  quantity  that  he  did  not  believe  he  had 
exaggerated  a  thousandth  part.  Afterwards  he  saw,  to  the 
eastward  of  the  mountain,  a  land  which  appeared  like  that 
of  Monte  Cristi  in  size  and  beauty.  Further  to  the  E. 
and  N.  E.  there  is  land  which  is  not  so  high,  extending  for 
some  hundred  miles  or  near  it. 

Sunday,  6th  of  January. 

That  port  is  sheltered  from  all  winds,  except  N.  and 
N.  W.,  and  these  winds  seldom  blow  in  this  region.  Even 
when  the  wind  is  from  those  quarters,  shelter  may  be  found 
near  the  islet  in  three  or  four  fathoms.  At  sunset  the  Ad 
miral  made  sail  to  proceed  along  the  coast,  the  course  being 
E.,  except  that  it  is  necessary  to  look  out  for  several  reefs 
of  stone  and  sand,  within  which  there  are  good  anchorages, 
with  channels  leading  to  them.  After  noon  it  blew  fresh 
from  the  E.  The  Admiral  ordered  a  sailor  to  go  to  the 
mast  head  to  look  out  for  reefs,  and  he  saw  the  caravel 
Plnta  coming,  with  the  wind  aft,  and  she  joined  the  Ad 
miral.  As  there  was  no  place  to  anchor,  owing  to  the  rocky 
bottom,  the  Admiral  returned  for  ten  leagues  to  Monte  Cristi, 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN 


205 


with  the  Pinta  in  company.  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  came 
on  board  the  caravel  Nina,  where  the  Admiral  was,  and 
excused  himself  by  saying  that  he  had  parted  company 
against  his  will,  giving  reasons  for  it.  But  the  Admiral 
says  that  they  were  all  false;  and  that  on  the  night  when 
Pinzon  parted  company  he  was  influenced  by  pride  and 
covetousness.  He  could  not  understand  whence  had  come 
the  insolence  and  disloyalty  with  which  Pinzon  had  treated 
him  during  the  voyage.  The  Admiral  had  taken  no  notice, 
because  he  did  not  wish  to  give  place  to  the  evil  works  of 
Satan,  who  desired  to  impede  the  voyage.  It  appeared  that 
one  of  the  Indians,  who  had  been  put  on  board  the  caravel 
by  the  Admiral  with  others,  had  said  that  there  was  much 
gold  in  an  island  called  Babeque,  and,  as  Pinzon's  vessel 
was  light  and  swift,  he  determined  to  go  there,  parting 
company  with  the  Admiral,  who  wished  to  remain  and  ex 
plore  the  coasts  of  Juana  and  Espanola,  with  an  easterly 
course.  When  Martin  Alonso  arrived  at  the  island  of 
Babeque  he  found  no  gold.  He  then  w~ent  to  the  coast 
of  Espanola,  on  information  from  the  Indians  that  there 
was  a  great  quantity  of  gold  and  many  mines  in  that  island 
of  Espanola,  which  the  Indians  call  Bohio.  He  thus  arrived 
near  the  Villa  de  Navidad,  about  fifteen  leagues  from  it, 
having  then  been  absent  more  than  twenty  days,  so  that  the 
news  brought  by  the  Indians  was  correct,  on  account  of 
which  the  King  Guacanagari  sent  a  canoe,  and  the  Admiral 
put  a  sailor  on  board;  but  the  Pint  a  must  have  gone  before 
the  canoe  arrived.  The  Admiral  says  that  the  Pinta  ob 
tained  much  gold  by  barter,  receiving  large  pieces  the  size 
of  two  fingers  in  exchange  for  a  needle.  Martin  Alonso 
took  half,  dividing  the  other  half  among  the  crew.  The 
Admiral  then  says:  "Thus  I  am  convinced  that  our  Lord 
miraculously  caused  that  vessel  to  remain  here,  this  being 
the  best  place  in  the  whole  island  to  form  a  settlement, 
and  the  nearest  to  the  gold  mines."  He  also  says  that  he 
knew  "of  another  great  island,  to  the  S.  of  the  island 
of  Juana,  in  which  there  is  more  gold  than  in  this  island,  so 


206  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

that  they  collect  it  in  bits  the  size  of  beans,  while  in  Espa 
nola  they  find  the  pieces  the  size  of  grains  of  corn."  They 
call  that  island  Tamaye.  The  Admiral  also  heard  of  an  island 
further  E.,  in  which  there  were  only  women,  having  been 
told  this  by  many  people.  He  was  also  informed  that 
Yamaye  and  the  island  of  Espanola  were  ten  days'  journey 
in  a  canoe  from  the  mainland,  which  would  be  about 
seventy  or  eighty  leagues,  and  that  there  the  people  wore 
clothes. 

Monday,  yth  of  January. 

This  day  the  Admiral  took  the  opportunity  of  caulking 
the  caravel,  and  the  sailors  were  sent  to  cut  wood.  They 
found  mastick  and  aloes  in  abundance. 

Tuesday,  8th  of  January. 

As  the  wind  was  blowing  fresh  from  the  E.  and  S.  E., 
the  Admiral  did  not  get  under  weigh  this  morning.  He 
ordered  the  caravel  to  be  filled  up  with  wood  and  water  and 
with  all  other  necessaries  for  the  voyage.  He  wished  to 
explore  all  the  coasts  of  Espanola  in  this  direction.  But 
those  he  appointed  to  the  caravels  as  captains  were  brothers, 
namely,  Martin  Alonso  Pinzon  and  Vicente  Anes.  They 
also  had  followers  who  were  filled  with  pride  and  avarice, 
considering  that  all  now  belonged  to  them,  and  unmindful 
of  the  honor  the  Admiral  had  done  them.  They  had  not 
and  did  not  obey  his  orders,  but  did  and  said  many  unworthy 
things  against  him;  while  Martin  Alonso  had  deserted  him 
from  the  2ist  of  November  until  the  6th  of  January,  with 
out  cause  or  reason,  but  from  disaffection.  All  these  things 
had  been  endured  in  silence  by  the  Admiral  in  order  to 
secure  a  good  end  to  the  voyage.  He  determined  to  return 
as  quickly  as  possible,  to  get  rid  of  such  an  evil  company, 
with  whom  he  thought  it  necessary  to  dissimulate,  although 
they  were  a  mutinous  set,  and  though  he  also  had  with  him 
many  good  men;  for  it  was  not  a  fitting  time  for  dealing 
out  punishment. 


THE  rRIUMPHANr  RErURN  207 

The  Admiral  got  into  the  boat  and  went  up  the  river 
which  is  near,  towards  the  S.  S.  W.  of  Monte  Cristi,  a  good 
league.  This  is  where  the  sailors  went  to  get  fresh  water 
for  the  ships.  He  found  that  the  sand  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  which  is  very  large  and  deep,  was  full  of  very  fine 
gold,  and  in  astonishing  quantity.  The  Admiral  thought 
that  it  was  pulverized  in  the  drift  down  the  river,  but  in  a 
short  time  he  found  many  grains  as  large  as  horse  beans, 
while  there  was  a  great  deal  of  the  fine  powder. 

As  the  fresh  water  mixed  with  the  salt  when  it  entered 
the  sea,  he  ordered  the  boat  to  go  up  for  the  distance  of  a 
stone's  throw.  They  filled  the  casks  from  the  boat,  and 
when  they  went  back  to  the  caravel  they  found  small  bits 
of  gold  sticking  to  the  hoops  of  the  casks  and  of  the  barrel. 
The  Admiral  gave  the  name  of  Rio  del  Oro  to  the  river. 
Inside  the  bar  it  is  very  deep,  though  the  mouth  is  shallow 
and  very  wide.  The  distance  to  the  Villa  de  la  Navidad  is 
seventeen  leagues,  and  there  are  several  large  rivers  on  the 
intervening  coast,  especially  three  which  probably  contain 
much  more  gold  than  this  one,  because  they  are  larger.  This 
river  is  nearly  the  size  of  the  Guadalquivir  at  Cordova,  and 
from  it  to  the  gold  mines  the  distance  is  not  more  than 
twenty  leagues.  The  Admiral  further  says  that  he  did  not 
care  to  take  the  sand  containing  gold,  because  their  High 
nesses  would  have  it  all  as  their  property  at  their  town  of 
Navidad;  and  because  his  first  object  was  now  to  bring  the 
news  and  to  get  rid  of  the  evil  company  that  was  with  him, 
whom  he  had  always  said  were  a  mutinous  set. 

Wednesday,  9th  of  January. 

The  Admiral  made  sail  at  midnight,  with  the  wind  S.  E., 
and  shaped  an  E.  N.  E.  course,  arriving  at  a  point  named 
Punta  Roja,  which  is  sixty  miles  E.  of  Monte  Cristi,  and 
anchored  under  its  lee  three  hours  before  nightfall.  He 
did  not  venture  to  go  out  at  night,  because  there  are  many 
reefs,  until  they  are  known.  Afterwards,  if,  as  will  prob 
ably  be  the  case,  channels  are  found  between  them,  the 


2o8  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

anchorage,  which  is  good  and  well  sheltered,  will  be  profit 
able.  The  country  between  Monte  Cristi  and  this  point 
where  the  Admiral  anchored  is  very  high  land,  with  beauti 
ful  plains,  the  range  running  E.  and  W.,  all  green  and 
cultivated,  with  numerous  streams  of  water,  so  that  it  is 
wonderful  to  see  such  beauty.  In  all  this  country  there  are 
many  turtles,  and  the  sailors  took  several  when  they  came  on 
shore  to  lay  their  eggs  at  Monte  Cristi,  as  large  as  a  great 
wooden  buckler. 

On  the  previous  day,  when  the  Admiral  went  to  the  Rio 
del  Oro,  he  saw  three  mermaids,  which  rose  well  out  of  the 
sea;  but  they  are  not  so  beautiful  as  they  are  painted,  though 
to  some  extent  they  have  the  form  of  a  human  face.  The 
Admiral  says  that  he  had  seen  some,  at  other  times,  in 
Guinea,  on  the  coast  of  Manequeta. 

The  Admiral  says  that  this  night,  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord,  he  would  set  out  on  his  homeward  voyage  without 
any  further  delay  whatever,  for  he  had  found  what  he  sought, 
and  he  did  not  wish  to  have  further  cause  of  offence  with 
Martin  Alonso  until  their  Highnesses  should  know  the  news 
of  the  voyage  and  what  had  been  done.  Afterwards  he 
says :  u  I  will  not  suffer  the  deeds  of  evil-disposed  persons, 
with  little  worth,  who,  without  respect  for  him  to  whom 
they  owe  their  positions,  presume  to  set  up  their  own  wills 
with  little  ceremony." 

Thursday,  loth  of  January. 

He  departed  from  the  place  where  he  had  anchored,  and 
at  sunset  he  reached  a  river,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Rio  de  Gracia,  three  leagues  to  the  S.  E.  He  came  to  at 
the  mouth,  where  there  is  good  anchorage  on  the  E.  side. 
There  is  a  bar  with  no  more  than  two  fathoms  of  water, 
and  very  narrow  across  the  entrance.  It  is  a  good  and  well- 
sheltered  port,  except  that  there  it  is  often  misty,  owing  to 
which  the  caravel  Pinta,  under  Martin  Alonso,  received  a 
good  deal  of  damage.  He  had  been  here  bartering  for 
sixteen  days,  and  got  much  gold,  which  was  what  Martin 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  209 

Alonso  wanted.  As  soon  as  he  heard  from  the  Indians  that 
the  Admiral  was  on  the  coast  of  the  same  island  of  Espa- 
nola,  and  that  he  could  not  avoid  him,  Pinzon  came  to  him. 
He  wanted  all  the  people  of  the  ship  to  swear  that  he  had 
not  been  there  more  than  six  days.  But  his  treachery  was 
so  public  that  it  could  not  be  concealed.  He  had  made  a 
law  that  half  of  all  the  gold  that  was  collected  was  his. 
When  he  left  this  port  he  took  four  men  and  two  girls  by 
force.  But  the  Admiral  ordered  that  they  should  be  clothed 
and  put  on  shore  to  return  to  their  homes.  "This,"  the 
Admiral  says,  uis  a  service  for  your  Highnesses.  For  all 
the  men  and  women  are  subjects  of  your  Highnesses,  as 
well  in  this  island  as  in  the  others.  Here,  where  your 
Highnesses  already  have  a  settlement,  the  people  ought  to 
be  treated  with  honor  and  favor,  seeing  that  this  island  has 
so  much  gold  and  such  good  spice-yielding  lands." 

Friday,  nth  of  January. 

At  midnight  the  Admiral  left  the  Rio  de  Gracia  with  the 
land  breeze,  and  steered  eastward  until  he  came  to  a  cape 
named  Belprado,  at  a  distance  of  four  leagues.  To  the  S.  E. 
is  the  mountain  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Monte  de 
Plata,  eight  leagues  distant.  Thence  from  the  cape  Bel- 
prado  to  E.  S.  E.  is  the  point  named  Angel,  eighteen  leagues 
distant;  and  from  this  point  to  the  Monte  de  Plata  there  is 
a  gulf,  with  the  most  beautiful  lands  in  the  world,  all  high 
and  fine  lands  which  extend  far  inland.  Beyond  there  is  a 
range  of  high  mountains  running  E.  and  W.,  very  grand 
and  beautiful.  At  the  foot  of  this  mountain  there  is  a  very 
good  port,  with  fourteen  fathoms  in  the  entrance.  The 
mountain  is  very  high  and  beautiful,  and  all  the  country  is 
well  peopled.  The  Admiral  believed  there  must  be  fine 
rivers  and  much  gold.  At  a  distance  of  four  leagues 
E.  S.  E.  of  Cabo  del  Angel  there  is  a  cape  named  Punta  del 
Hierro,  and  on  the  same  course,  four  more  leagues,  a  point 
is  reached  named  Punta  Seca.  Thence,  six  leagues  further 
on,  is  Cabo  Redondo,  and  further  on  Cabo  Frances,  where  a 


2io  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

large  bay  is  formed,  but  there  did  not  appear  to  be  anchorage 
in  it.  A  league  further  on  is  Cabo  del  Buen  Tiempo,  and 
thence,  a  good  league  S.  S.  E.,  is  Cabo  Tajado.  Thence,  to 
the  S.,  another  cape  was  sighted  at  a  distance  of  about  fifteen 
leagues.  To-day  great  progress  was  made,  as  wind  and  tide 
were  favorable.  The  Admiral  did  not  venture  to  anchor 
for  fear  of  the  rocks,  so  he  was  hove  to  all  night. 

Saturday,  I2th  of  January. 

Towards  dawn  the  Admiral  filled  and  shaped  a  course 
to  the  E.  with  a  fresh  wind,  running  twenty  miles  before 
daylight,  and  in  two  hours  afterwards  twenty-four  miles. 
Thence  he  saw  land  to  the  S.,  and  steered  towards  it, 
distant  forty-eight  miles.  During  the  night  he  must  have 
run  twenty-eight  miles  N.  N.  E.,  to  keep  the  vessels  out 
of  danger.  When  he  saw  the  land,  he  named  one  cape 
that  he  saw  Cabo  de  Padre  y  Htjo,  because  at  the  E.  point 
there  are  two  rocks,  one  larger  than  the  other.  Afterwards, 
at  two  leagues  to  the  eastward,  he  saw  a  very  fine  bay 
between  two  grand  mountains.  He  saw  that  it  was  a  very 
large  port  with  a  very  good  approach;  but,  as  it  was 
very  early  in  the  morning,  and  as  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  it  was  blowing  from  the  E.,  and  then  they  had  a 
N.  N.  W.  breeze,  he  did  not  wish  to  delay  any  more.  He 
continued  his  course  to  the  E.  as  far  as  a  very  high  and 
beautiful  cape,  all  of  scarped  rock,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Cabo  del  Enamorado,  which  was  thirty-two  miles 
to  the  E.  of  the  port  named  Puerto  Sacro.  On  rounding 
the  cape,  another  finer  and  loftier  point  came  in  sight,  like 
Cape  St.  Vincent  in  Portugal,  twelve  miles  E.  of  Cabo 
del  Enamorado.  As  soon  as  he  was  abreast  of  the  Cabo  del 
Enamorado,  the  Admiral  saw  that  there  was  a  great  bay 
between  this  and  the  next  point,  three  leagues  across,  and 
in  the  middle  of  it  a  small  island.  The  depth  is  great  at 
the  entrance  close  to  the  land.  He  anchored  here  in  twelve 
fathoms,  and  sent  the  boat  on  shore  for  water  and  to  see 
if  intercourse  could  be  opened  with  the  natives,  but  they 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  2 1 1 

all  fled.  He  also  anchored  to  ascertain  whether  this  was  all 
one  land  with  the  island  of  Espanola,  and  to  make  sure  that 
this  was  a  gulf,  and  not  a  channel,  forming  another  island. 
He  remained  astonished  at  the  great  size  of  Espanola. 

Sunday,  I3th  of  January. 

The  Admiral  did  not  leave  the  port,  because  there  was 
no  land  breeze  with  which  to  go  out.  He  wished  to  shift 
to  another  better  port,  because  this  was  rather  exposed.  He 
also  wanted  to  wait,  in  that  haven,  the  conjunction  of  the 
sun  and  the  moon,  which  would  take  place  on  the  seven 
teenth  of  this  month,  and'  their  opposition  with  Jupiter  and 
conjunction  with  Mercury,  the  sun  being  in  opposition  to 
Jupiter,  which  is  the  cause  of  high  winds.  He  sent  the 
boat  on  shore  to  a  beautiful  beach  to  obtain  yams  for  food. 
They  found  some  men  with  bows  and  arrows,  with  whom 
they  stopped  to  speak,  buying  two  bows  and  many  arrows 
from  them.  They  asked  one  of  them  to  come  on  board 
the  caravel  and  see  the  Admiral ;  who  says  that  he  was  very 
wanting  in  reverence,  more  so  than  any  native  he  had  yet 
seen.  His  face  was  all  stained  with  charcoal,  but  in  all 
parts  there  is  the  custom  of  painting  the  body  different 
colors.  He  wore  his  hair  very  long,  brought  together  and 
fastened  behind,  and  put  into  a  small  net  of  parrots'  feathers. 
He  was  naked,  like  all  the  others.  The  Admiral  supposed 
that  he  belonged  to  the  Caribs,  who  eat  men,  and  that  the 
gulf  he  had  seen  yesterday  formed  this  part  of  the  land  into 
an  island  by  itself.  The  Admiral  asked  about  the  Caribs, 
and  he  pointed  to  the  E.,  near  at  hand,  which  means  that 
he  saw  the  Admiral  yesterday  before  he  entered  the  bay. 
The  Indian  said  there  was  much  gold  to  the  E.,  pointing 
to  the  poop  of  the  caravel,  which  was  a  good  size,  meaning 
that  there  were  pieces  as  large.  He  called  gold  tuob,  and 
did  not  understand  caona,  as  they  call  it  in  the  first  part  of 
the  island  that  was  visited,  nor  nozay,  the  name  in  San  Sal 
vador  and  the  other  islands.  Copper  is  called  tuob  in  Espa 
nola.  He  also  spoke  of  the  island  of  Goanin,  where  there 


212  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

was  much  tuob.  The  Admiral  says  that  he  had  received 
notices  of  these  islands  from  many  persons;  that  in  the 
other  islands  the  natives  were  in  great  fear  of  the  Caribs, 
called  by  some  of  them  Caniba,  but  in  Espanola  Carib.  He 
thought  they  must  be  an  audacious  race,  for  they  go  to  all 
these  islands  and  eat  the  people  they  can  capture.  He 
understood  a  few  words,  and  the  Indians  who  were  on  board 
comprehended  more,  there  being  a  difference  in  the  lan 
guages  owing  to  the  great  distance  between  the  various 
islands.  The  Admiral  ordered  that  the  Indian  should  be 
fed,  and  given  pieces  of  green  and  red  cloth,  and  glass 
beads,  which  they  like  very  much,  and  then  sent  on  shore. 
He  was  told  to  bring  gold  if  he  had  any,  and  it  was  believed 
that  he  had,  from  some  small  things  he  brought  with  him. 
When  the  boat  reached  the  shore  there  were  fifty-five  men 
behind  the  trees,  naked,  and  with  very  long  hair,  as  the 
women  wear  it  in  Castille.  Behind  the  head  they  wore 
plumes  of  feathers  of  parrots  and  other  birds,  and  each  man 
carried  a  bow.  The  Indian  landed,  and  signed  to  the  others 
to  put  down  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  a  piece  of  a  staff, 
which  is  like  .  .  .,  very  heavy,  carried  instead  of  a 
sword.  As  soon  as  they  came  to  the  boat  the  crew  landed, 
and  began  to  buy  the  bows  and  arrows  and  other  arms,  in 
accordance  with  an  order  of  the  Admiral.  Having  sold  two 
bows,  they  did  not  want  to  give  more,  but  began  to  attack 
the  Spaniards,  and  to  take  hold  of  them.  They  were  run 
ning  back  to  pick  up  their  bows  and  arrows  where  they  had 
laid  them  aside,  and  took  cords  in  their  hands  to  bind  the 
boat's  crew.  Seeing  them  rushing  down,  and  being  pre 
pared,  for  the  Admiral  always  warned  them  to  be  on  their 
guard,  the  Spaniards  attacked  the  Indians,  and  gave  one  a 
stab  with  a  knife  in  the  buttocks,  wounding  another  in  the 
breast  with  an  arrow.  Seeing  that  they  could  gain  little, 
although  the  Christians  were  only  seven  and  they  numbered 
over  fifty,  they  fled,  so  that  none  were  left,  throwing  bows 
and  arrows  away.  The  Christians  would  have  killed  many, 
if  the  pilot,  who  was  in  command,  had  not  prevented  them. 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN 


2I3 


The  Spaniards  presently  returned  to  the  caravel  with  the 
boat.  The  Admiral  regretted  the  affair  for  one  reason, 
and  was  pleased  for  another.  They  would  have  fear  of 
the  Christians,  and  they  were  no  doubt  an  ill-conditioned 
people,  probably  Caribs,  who  eat  men.  But  the  Admiral 
felt  alarm  lest  they  should  do  some  harm  to  the  thirty-nine 
men  left  in  the  fortress  and  town  of  Navidad,  in  the  event 
of  their  coming  here  in  their  boat.  Even  if  they  are  not 
Caribs,  they  are  a  neighboring  people,  with  similar  habits, 
and  fearless,  unlike  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  island,  who 
are  timid,  and  without  arms.  The  Admiral  says  all  this, 
and  adds  that  he  would  have  liked  to  capture  some  of 
them.  He  says  that  they  lighted  many  smoke  signals,  as 
is  the  custom  in  this  island  of  Espanola. 

Monday,  I4th  of  January. 

This  evening  the  Admiral  wished  to  find  the  houses  of 
the  Indians  and  to  capture  some  of  them,  believing  them  to 
be  .Caribs.  For,  owing  to  the  strong  E.  and  N.  E.  winds 
and  the  heavy  sea,  he  had  remained  during  the  day.  Many 
Indians  were  seen  on  shore.  The  Admiral,  therefore, 
ordered  the  boat  to  be  sent  on  shore,  with  the  crew  well 
armed.  Presently  the  Indians  came  to  the  stern  of  the 
boat,  including  the  man  who  had  been  on  board  the  day 
before,  and  had  received  presents  from  the  Admiral.  With 
him  there  came  a  king,  who  had  given  to  the  said  Indian 
some  beads  in  token  of  safety  and  peace  for  the  boat's 
crew.  This  king,  with  three  of  his  followers,  went  on 
board  the  boat  and  came  to  the  caravel.  The  Admiral 
ordered  them  to  be  given  biscuit  and  treacle  to  eat,  and 
gave  the  chief  a  red  cap,  some  beads,  and  a  piece  of  red 
cloth.  The  others  were  also  given  pieces  of  cloth.  The 
chief  said  that  next  day  he  would  bring  a  mask  made  of 
gold,  affirming  that  there  was  much  here,  and  in  Carib  and 
Matinmo.  They  afterwards  went  on  shore  well  satisfied. 

The  Admiral  here  says  that  the  caravels  were  making 
much  water,  which  entered  by  the  keel;  and  he  complains 


2I4 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


of  the  caulkers  at  Palos,  who  had  caulked  the  vessels  very 
badly,  and  ran  away  when  they  saw  that  the  Admiral  had 
detected  the  badness  of  their  work  and  intended  to  oblige 
them  to  repair  the  defect.  But,  notwithstanding  that  the 
caravels  were  making  much  water,  he  trusted  in  the  favor 
and  mercy  of  our  Lord,  for  his  high  Majesty  well  knew 
how  much  controversy  there  was  before  the  expedition 
could  be  despatched  from  Castille,  that  no  one  was  in  the 
Admiral's  favor  save  Him  alone  who  knew  his  heart,  and 
after  God  came  your  Highnesses,  while  all  others  were 
against  him  without  any  reason.  He  further  says:  "And 
this  has  been  the  cause  that  the  royal  crown  of  your  High 
nesses  has  not  a  hundred  cuentos  of  revenue  more  than  after 
I  entered  your  service,  which  is  seven  years  ago  in  this  very 
month,  the  2Oth  of  January.  The  increase  will  take  place 
from  now  onwards.  For  the  almighty  God  will  remedy  all 
things."  These  are  his  words. 

Tuesday,  I5th  of  January. 

The  Admiral  now  wished  to  depart,  for  there  was  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  further  delay,  after  these  occurrences  and 
the  tumult  with  the  Indians.  To-day  he  had  heard  that 
all  the  gold  was  in  the  district  of  the  town  of  Navidad, 
belonging  to  their  Highnesses;  and  that  in  the  island  of 
Carib  there  was  much  copper,  as  well  as  in  Matinino.  The 
intercourse  at  Carib  would,  however,  be  difficult,  because 
the  natives  are  said  to  eat  human  flesh.  Their  island  would 
be  in  sight  from  thence,  and  the  Admiral  determined  to  go 
there,  as  it  was  on  the  route,  and  thence  to  Matinino, 
which  was  said  to  be  entirely  peopled  by  women,  without 
men.  He  would  thus  see  both  islands,  and  might  take 
some  of  the  natives.  The  Admiral  sent  the  boat  on  shore, 
but  the  king  of  that  district  had  not  come,  for  his  village 
was  distant.  He,  however,  sent  his  crown  of  gold,  as  he 
had  promised;  and  many  other  natives  came  with  cotton, 
and  bread  made  from  yams,  all  with  their  bows  and  arrows. 
After  the  bartering  was  finished,  four  youths  came  to  the 


THE  rRIUMPHANr  RETURN  215 

caravel.  They  appeared  to  the  Admiral  to  give  such  a 
clear  account  of  the  islands  to  the  eastward,  on  the  same 
route  as  the  Admiral  would  have  to  take,  that  he  deter 
mined  to  take  them  to  Castille  with  him.  He  says  that 
they  had  no  iron  or  other  metals;  at  least  none  was  seen, 
but  it  was  impossible  to  know  much  of  the  land  in  so 
short  a  time,  owing  to  the  difficulty  with  the  language,  which 
the  Admiral  could  not  understand  except  by  guessing,  nor 
could  they  know  what  was  said  to  them,  in  such  a  few  days. 
The  bows  of  these  people  are  as  large  as  those  of  France 
or  England.  The  arrows  are  similar  to  the  darts  of  the 
natives  who  have  been  met  with  previously,  which  are  made 
of  young  canes,  which  grow  very  straight,  and  a  vara  and 
a  half  or  two  varas  in  length.  They  point  them  with  a 
piece  of  sharp  wood,  a  palmo  and  a  half  long,  and  at  the 
end  some  of  them  fix  a  fish's  tooth,  but  most  of  them 
anoint  it  with  an  herb.  They  do  not  shoot  as  in  other 
parts,  but  in  a  certain  way  which  cannot  do  much  harm. 
Here  they  have  a  great  deal  of  fine  and  long  cotton,  and 
plenty  of  mastick.  The  bows  appeared  to  be  of  yew, 
and  there  is  gold  and  copper.  There  is  also  plenty  of  aji, 
which  is  their  pepper,  which  is  more  valuable  than  pepper, 
and  all  the  people  eat  nothing  else,  it  being  very  wholesome. 
Fifty  caravels  might  be  annually  loaded  with  it  from  Espa- 
iiola.  The  Admiral  says  that  he  found  a  great  deal  of 
weed  in  this  bay,  the  same  as  was  met  with  at  sea  when  he 
came  on  this  discovery.  He  therefore  supposed  that  there 
were  islands  to  the  eastward,  in  the  direction  of  the  position 
where  he  began  to  meet  with  it;  for  he  considers  it  certain 
that  this  weed  has  its  origin  in  shallow  water  near  the  land, 
and,  if  this  is  the  case,  these  Indies  must  be  very  near  the 
Canary  Islands.  For  this  reason  he  thought  the  distance 
must  be  less  than  four  hundred  leagues. 

Wednesday,  i6th  of  January. 

They  got  under  weigh  three  hours  before  daylight,  and 
left  the  gulf,  which  was  named   Golfo  de  las  Flechas,  with 


216  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  land  breeze.  Afterwards  there  was  a  W.  wind,  which 
was  fair  to  go  to  the  island  of  Carib  on  an  E.  N.  E.  course. 
This  was  where  the  people  live  of  whom  all  the  natives  of 
the  other  islands  are  so  frightened,  because  they  roam  over  the 
sea  in  canoes  without  number,  and  eat  the  men  they  can 
capture.  The  Admiral  steered  the  course  indicated  by  one 
of  the  four  Indians  he  took  yesterday  in  the  Puerto  de  las 
Flechas.  After  having  sailed  about  sixty-four  miles,  the 
Indians  made  signs  that  the  island  was  to  the  S.  E.  The 
Admiral  ordered  the  sails  to  be  trimmed  for  that  course, 
but,  after  having  proceeded  on  it  for  two  leagues,  the  wind 
freshened  from  a  quarter  which  was  very  favorable  for  the 
voyage  to  Spain.  The  Admiral  had  noticed  that  the  crew 
were  downhearted  when  he  deviated  from  the  direct  route 
home,  reflecting  that  both  caravels  were  leaking  badly,  and 
that  there  was  no  help  but  in  God.  He  therefore  gave  up 
the  course  leading  to  the  islands,  and  shaped  a  direct  course 
for  Spain  E.  N.  E.  He  sailed  on  this  course,  making  forty- 
eight  miles,  which  is  twelve  leagues,  by  sunset.  The  In 
dians  said  that  by  that  route  they  would  fall  in  with  the 
island  of  Matinino,  peopled  entirely  by  women  without 
men,  and  the  Admiral  wanted  very  much  to  take  five  or 
six  of  them  to  the  Sovereigns.  But  he  doubted  whether 
the  Indians  understood  the  route  well,  and  he  could  not 
afford  to  delay,  by  reason  of  the  leaky  condition  of  the 
caravels.  He,  however,  believed  the  story,  and  that, 
at  certain  seasons,  men  came  to  them  from  the  island 
of  Carib,  distant  ten  or  twelve  leagues.  If  males  were 
born,  they  were  sent  to  the  island  of  the  men,  and  if 
females,  they  remained  with  their  mothers.  The  Admiral 
says  that  these  two  islands  cannot  have  been  more  than 
fifteen  or  twenty  leagues  to  the  S.  E.  from  where  he  altered 
course,  the  Indians  not  understanding  how  to  point  out  the 
direction.  After  losing  sight  of  the  cape,  which  was  named 
San  Tkeramo,  which  was  left  sixteen  leagues  to  the  W., 
they  went  for  twelve  leagues  E.  N.  E.  The  weather  was 
very  fine. 


Gore-map   showing  the   track  of  Magellan1  s   circumn; 

York  Public  Li 


on  ot   the  world.       From  the  unique  original  in  the  Ne-iv 
,   Lenox  Branch. 


TRIUMPHANT  RETURN 


2I7 


Thursday,  iyth  of  January. 

The  wind  went  down  at  sunset  yesterday,  the  cara 
vels  having  sailed  fourteen  glasses,  each  a  little  less  than 
half  an  hour,  at  four  miles  an  hour,  making  twenty-eight 
miles.  Afterwards  the  wind  freshened,  and  they  ran  all 
that  watch,  which  was  ten  glasses.  Then  another  six 
until  sunrise  at  eight  miles  an  hour,  thus  making  alto 
gether  eighty-four  miles,  equal  to  twenty-one  leagues,  to 
the  E.  N.  E.,  and  until  sunset  forty-four  miles,  or  eleven 
leagues,  to  the  E.  Here  a  booby  came  to  the  caravel, 
and  afterwards  another.  The  Admiral  saw  a  great  deal 
of  gulf  weed. 

Friday,  i8th  of  January. 

During  the  night  they  steered  E.  S.  E.,  with  little  wind, 
for  forty  miles,  equal  to  ten  leagues,  and  then  thirty  miles, 
or  seven  and  one-half  leagues,  until  sunrise.  All  day  they 
proceeded  with  little  wind  to  E.  N.  E.  and  N.  E.  by  E., 
more  or  less,  her  head  being  sometimes  N.  and  at  others 
N.  N.  E.,  and,  counting  one  with  the  other,  they  made 
sixty  miles,  or  fifteen  leagues.  There  was  little  weed,  but 
yesterday  and  to-day  the  sea  appeared  to  be  full  of  tunnies. 
The  Admiral  believed  that  they  were  on  their  way  to  the 
tunny  fisheries  of  the  Duke,  at  Conil  and  Cadiz.  He  also 
thought  they  were  near  some  islands,  because  a  frigate- 
bird  flew  round  the  caravel,  and  afterwards  went  away 
to  the  S.  S.  E.  He  said  that  to  the  S.  E.  of  the  island 
of  Espanola  were  the  islands  of  Carib,  Matinino,  and 
many  others. 

Saturday,  igth  of  January. 

During  the  night  they  made  good  fifty-six  miles  N.  N.  E., 
and  sixty-four  N.  E.  by  N.  After  sunrise  they  steered  N.  E. 
with  the  wind  fresh  from  S.  W.,  and  afterwards  W.  S.  W. 
eighty-four  miles,  equal  to  twenty-one  leagues.  The  sea 
was  again  full  of  small  tunnies.  There  were  boobies, 
frigate-birds,  and  terns. 


2i 8  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

Sunday,  2Oth  of  January. 

It  was  calm  during  the  night,  with  occasional  slants  of 
wind,  and  they  only  made  twenty  miles  to  the  N.  E.  After 
sunrise  they  went  eleven  miles  S.  E.,  and  then  thirty-six 
miles  N.  N.  E.,  equal  to  nine  leagues.  They  saw  an  im 
mense  quantity  of  small  tunnies,  the  air  very  soft  and 
pleasant,  like  Seville  in  April  or  May,  and  the  sea,  for 
which  God  be  given  many  thanks,  always  very  smooth. 
Frigate-birds,  sandpipers,  and  other  birds  were  seen. 

Monday,  2ist  of  January. 

Yesterday,  before  sunset,  they  steered  N.  E.  by  E.,  with 
the  wind  east,  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour  until  mid 
night,  equal  to  fifty-six  miles.  Afterwards  they  steered 
N.  N.  E.  eight  miles  an  hour,  so  that  they  made  one  hun 
dred  and  four  miles,  or  twenty-six  leagues,  during  the  night 
N.  E.  by  N.  After  sunrise  they  steered  N.  N.  E.  with  the 
same  wind,  which  at  times  veered  to  N.  E.,  and  they  made 
good  eighty-eight  miles  in  the  eleven  hours  of  daylight,  or 
twenty-two  leagues  :  except  one  that  was  lost  by  delay  caused 
by  closing  with  the  Pmta  to  communicate.  The  air  was 
colder,  and  it  seemed  to  get  colder  as  they  went  further  N., 
and  also  that  the  nights  grew  longer  owing  to  the  narrowing 
of  the  sphere.  Many  boatswain-birds  and  terns  were  seen, 
as  well  as  other  birds,  but  not  so  many  fish,  perhaps  owing 
to  the  water  being  colder.  Much  weed  was  seen. 

Tuesday,  22nd  of  January. 

Yesterday,  after  sunset,  they  steered  N.  N.  E.  with  an  E. 
wind.  They  made  eight  miles  an  hour  during  five  glasses, 
and  three  before  the  watch  began,  making  eight  glasses, 
equal  to  thirty-two  miles,  or  eight  leagues.  Afterwards  they 
went  N.  E.  by  N.  for  six  glasses,  which  would  be  another 
eighteen  miles.  Then,  during  four  glasses  of  the  second 
watch  N.  E.  at  six  miles  an  hour,  or  three  leagues.  From 
that  time  to  sunset,  for  eleven  glasses,  E.  N.  E.  at  six 
miles  an  hour,  equal  to  seven  leagues.  Then  E.  N.  E. 


THE  rRIUMPHANr  RErURN 


2I9 


until  eleven  o'clock,  thirty-two  miles.  Then  the  wind  fell, 
and  they  made  no  more  during  that  day.  The  Indians  swam 
about.  They  saw  boatswain-birds  and  much  weed. 

Wednesday,  23rd  of  January. 

To-night  the  wind  was  very  changeable,  but,  making  the 
allowances  applied  by  good  sailors,  they  made  eighty-four 
miles,  or  twenty-one  leagues,  N.  E.  by  N.  Many  times 
the  caravel  Nina  had  to  wait  for  the  Pinta,  because  she 
sailed  badly  when  on  a  bowline,  the  mizzen  being  of  little 
use  owing  to  the  weakness  of  the  mast.  If  her  captain, 
Martin  Alonso  Pinzon,  had  taken  the  precaution  to  pro 
vide  her  with  a  good  mast  in  the  Indies,  where  there  are 
so  many  and  such  excellent  spars,  instead  of  deserting  his 
commander  from  motives  of  avarice,  he  would  have  done 
better.  They  saw  many  boatswain-birds  and  much  weed. 
The  heavens  have  been  clouded  over  during  these  last  days, 
but  there  has  been  no  rain.  The  sea  has  been  as  smooth 
as  a  river,  for  which  many  thanks  be  given  to  God.  After 
sunrise  they  went  free,  and  made  thirty  miles,  or  seven  and 
one-half  leagues  N.  E.  During  the  rest  of  the  day  E.  N.  E. 
another  thirty  miles. 

Thursday,  24th  of  January. 

They  made  forty-four  miles,  or  eleven  leagues,  during 
the  night,  allowing  for  many  changes  in  the  wind,  which 
was  generally  N.  E.  After  sunrise  until  sunset  E.  N.  E. 
fourteen  leagues. 

Friday,  25th  of  January. 

They  steered  during  part  of  the  night  E.  N.  E.  for  thir 
teen  glasses,  making  nine  and  one-half  leagues.  Then 
N.  N.  E.  six  miles.  The  wind  fell,  and  during  the  day 
they  only  made  twenty-eight  miles  E.  N.  E.,  or  seven 
leagues.  The  sailors  killed  a  tunny  and  a  very  large  shark, 
which  was  very  welcome,  as  they  now  had  nothing  but 
bread  and  wine,  and  some  yams  from  the  Indies. 


220  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Saturday,  26th  of  January. 

This  night  they  made  fifty-six  miles,  or  fourteen  leagues, 
E.  S.  E.  After  sunrise,  they  steered  E.  S.  E.,  and  some 
times  S.  E.,  making  forty  miles  up  to  eleven  o'clock.  After 
wards  they  went  on  another  tack,  and  then  on  a  bowline, 
twenty-four  miles,  or  six  leagues,  to  the  N.,  until  night. 

Sunday,  2jth  of  January. 

Yesterday,  after  sunset,  they  steered  N.  E.  and  N.  E. 
by  N.  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  which  in  thirteen 
hours  would  be  sixty-five  miles,  or  sixteen  and  one-half 
leagues.  After  sunrise  they  steered  N.  E.  twenty-four 
miles,  or  six  leagues,  until  noon,  and  from  that  time  until 
sunset  three  leagues  E.  N.  E. 

Monday,  28th  of  January. 

All  night  they  steered  E.  N.  E.  thirty-six  miles,  or  nine 
leagues.  After  sunrise  until  sunset  E.  N.  E.  twenty  miles, 
or  five  leagues.  The  weather  was  temperate  and  pleasant. 
They  saw  boatswain-birds,  sandpipers,  and  much  weed. 

Tuesday,  29th  of  January. 

They  steered  E.  N.  E.  thirty-nine  miles,  or  nine  and  one- 
half  leagues,  and  during  the  whole  day  eight  leagues.  The 
air  was  very  pleasant,  like  April  in  Castille,  the  sea  smooth, 
and  fish  they  call  dorados  came  on  board. 

Wednesday,  3Oth  of  January. 

All  this  night  they  made  six  leagues  E.  N.  E.,  and  in  the 
day  S.  E.  by  S.  thirteen  and  one-half  leagues.  Boatswain- 
birds,  much  weed,  and  many  tunnies. 

Thursday,  3ist  of  January. 

This  night  they  steered  N.  E.  by  N.  thirty  miles,  and 
afterwards  N.  E.  thirty-five  miles,  or  sixteen  leagues.  From 
sunrise  to  night  E.  N.  E.  thirteen  and  one-half  leagues. 
They  saw  boatswain-birds  and  terns. 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  22l 

Friday,  ist  of  February. 

They  made  sixteen  and  one-half  leagues  E.  N.  E.  during 
the  night,  and  went  on  the  same  course  during  the  day 
twenty-nine  and  one-quarter  leagues.  The  sea  very  smooth, 
thanks  be  to  God. 

Saturday,  2nd  of  February. 

They  made  forty  miles,  or  ten  leagues,  E.  N.  E.  this 
night.  In  the  daytime,  with  the  same  wind  aft,  they  went 
seven  miles  an  hour,  so  that  in  eleven  hours  they  had  gone 
seventy-seven  miles,  or  nineteen  and  one-quarter  leagues. 
The  sea  was  very  smooth,  thanks  be  to  God,  and  the  air 
very  soft.  They  saw  the  sea  so  covered  with  weed  that, 
if  they  had  not  known  about  it  before,  they  would  have  been 
fearful  of  sunken  rocks.  They  saw  terns. 

Sunday,  3rd  of  February. 

This  night,  the  wind  being  aft  and  the  sea  very  smooth, 
thanks  be  to  God,  they  made  twenty-nine  leagues.  The 
North  Star  appeared  very  high,  as  it  does  off  Cape  St.  Vin 
cent.  The  Admiral  was  unable  to  take  the  altitude,  either 
with  the  astrolabe  or  with  the  quadrant,  because  the  rolling 
caused  by  the  waves  prevented  it.  That  day  he  steered  his 
course  E.  N.  E.,  going  ten  miles  an  hour,  so  that  in  eleven 
hours  he  made  twenty-seven  leagues. 

Monday,  4th  of  February. 

During  the  night  the  course  was  N.  E.  by  E.,  going 
twelve  miles  an  hour  part  of  the  time,  and  the  rest  ten 
miles.  Thus  they  made  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  or 
thirty-two  leagues  and  a  half.  The  sky  was  very  threaten 
ing  and  rainy,  and  it  was  rather  cold,  by  which  they  knew 
that  they  had  not  yet  reached  the  Azores.  After  sunrise  the 
course  was  altered  to  E.  During  the  whole  day  they  made 
seventy-seven  miles,  or  nineteen  and  one-quarter  leagues. 

Tuesday,  5th  of  February. 

This  night  they  steered  E.,  and  made  fifty-five  miles,  or 
thirteen  and  one-half  leagues.  In  the  day  they  were  going  ten 


222  DISCOVER  Y  AND  EXPLORATION 

miles  an  hour,  and  in  eleven  hours  made  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles,  or  twenty-seven  and  one-half  leagues.  They  saw  sand 
pipers,  and  some  small  sticks,  a  sign  that  they  were  near  land. 

Wednesday,  6th  of  February. 

They  steered  E.  during  the  night,  going  at  the  rate  of 
eleven  miles  an  hour,  so  that  in  the  thirteen  hours  of  the 
night  they  made  one  hundred  and  forty-three  miles,  or 
thirty-five  and  one-quarter  leagues.  They  saw  many  birds. 
In  the  day  they  went  fourteen  miles  an  hour,  and  made 
one  hundred  and  fifty-four  miles,  or  thirty-eight  and  one- 
half  leagues;  so  that,  including  night  and  day,  they  made 
seventy-four  leagues,  more  or  less.  Vicente  Anes  said  that 
they  had  left  the  island  of  Flores  to  the  N.  and  Madeira 
to  the  E.  Roldan  said  that  the  island  of  Fayal,  or  San 
Gregorio,  was  to  the  N.  N.  E.  and  Puerto  Santo  to  the  E. 
There  was  much  weed. 

Thursday,  yth  of  February. 

This  night  they  steered  E.,  going  ten  miles  an  hour,  so 
that  in  thirteen  hours  they  made  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles,  or  thirty-two  and  one-half  leagues.  In  the  daytime  the 
rate  was  eight  miles  an  hour,  in  eleven  hours  eighty-eight 
miles,  or  twenty-two  leagues.  This  morning  the  Admiral 
found  himself  sixty-five  leagues  S.  of  the  island  of  Flores, 
and  the  pilot  Pedro  Alonso,  being  further  N,,  according 
to  his  reckoning,  passed  between  Terceira  and  Santa  Maria  to 
the  E.,  passing  to  windward  of  the  island  of  Madeira,  twelve 
leagues  further  N.  The  sailors  saw  a  new  kind  of  weed, 
of  which  there  is  plenty  in  the  islands  of  the  Azores. 

Friday,  8th  of  February. 

They  went  three  miles  an  hour  to  the  eastward  for  some 
time  during  the  night,  and  afterwards  E.  S.  E.,  going  twelve 
miles  an  hour.  From  sunrise  to  noon  they  made  twenty- 
seven  miles,  and  the  same  distance  from  noon  till  sunset, 
equal  to  thirteen  leagues  S.  S.  E. 


THE  TRIUMPHANT:  RETURN  223 

Saturday,  gth  of  February. 

For  part  of  this  night  they  went  three  leagues  S.  S.  E., 
and  afterwards  S.  by  E.,  then  N.  E.  five  leagues  until  ten 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  then  nine  leagues  E.  until  dark. 

Sunday,  roth  of  February. 

From  sunset  they  steered  E.  all  night,  making  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  miles,  or  thirty-two  and  one-half  leagues. 
During  the  day  they  went  at  the  rate  of  nine  miles  an  hour, 
making  ninety-nine  miles,  or  twenty-four  and  one-half 
leagues,  in  eleven  hours. 

In  the  caravel  of  the  Admiral,  Vicente  Yanez  and  the 
two  pilots,  Sancho  Ruiz  and  Pedro  Alonso  Nino,  and  Rol- 
dan,  made  charts  and  plotted  the  route.  They  all  made  the 
position  a  good  deal  beyond  the  islands  of  the  Azores  to 
the  E.,  and,  navigating  to  the  N.,  none  of  them  touched 
Santa  Maria,  which  is  the  last  of  all  the  Azores.  They 
made  the  position  five  leagues  beyond  it,  and  were  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  islands  of  Madeira  and  Puerto  Santo.  But 
the  Admiral  was  very  different  from  them  in  his  reckoning, 
finding  the  position  very  much  in  rear  of  theirs.  This  night 
he  found  the  island  of  Flores  to  the  N.,  and  to  the  E.  he 
made  the  direction  to  be  toward  Nafe  in  Africa,  passing 
to  leeward  of  the  island  of  Madeira  to  the  N. 
leagues.  So  that  the  pilots  were  nearer  to  Castille  than  the 
Admiral  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues.  The  Admiral 
says  that,  with  the  grace  of  God,  when  they  reach  the  land 
they  will  find  out  whose  reckoning  was  most  correct.  He 
also  says  that  he  went  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  leagues 
from  the  island  of  Hierro  to  the  place  where  he  first  saw 
the  gulf  weed. 

Monday,  nth  of  February. 

This  night  they  went  twelve  miles  an  hour  on  their 
course,  and  during  the  day  they  ran  sixteen  and  one-half 
leagues.  They  saw  many  birds,  from  which  they  judged 
that  land  was  near. 


224 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


Tuesday,  1 2th  of  February. 

They  went  six  miles  an  hour  on  an  E.  course  during 
the  night,  altogether  seventy-three  miles,  or  eighteen  and 
one-quarter  leagues.  At  this  time  they  began  to  encounter 
bad  weather  with  a  heavy  sea;  and,  if  the  caravel  had  not 
been  very  well  managed,  she  must  have  been  lost.  During 
the  day  they  made  eleven  or  twelve  leagues  with  much 
difficulty  and  danger. 

Wednesday,  I3th  of  February. 

From  sunset  until  daylight  there  was  great  trouble  with 
the  wind,  and  the  high  and  tempestuous  sea.  There  was 
lightning  three  times  to  the  N.  N.  E. — a  sign  of  a  great 
storm  coming  either  from  that  quarter  or  its  opposite.  They 
were  lying  to  most  of  the  night,  afterwards  showing  a  little 
sail,  and  made  fifty-two  miles,  which  is  thirteen  leagues. 
In  the  day  the  wind  moderated  a  little,  but  it  soon  increased 
again.  The  sea  was  terrific,  the  waves  crossing  each  other, 
and  straining  the  vessels.  They  made  fifty-five  miles  more, 
equal  to  thirteen  and  one-half  leagues. 

Thursday,  I4th  of  February. 

This  night  the  wind  increased,  and  the  waves  were  ter 
rible,  rising  against  each  other,  and  so  shaking  and  straining 
the  vessel  that  she  could  make  no  headway,  and  was  in 
danger  of  being  stove  in.  They  carried  the  mainsail  very 
closely  reefed,  so  as  just  to  give  her  steerageway,  and  pro 
ceeded  thus  for  three  hours,  making  twenty  miles.  Mean 
while,  the  wind  and  sea  increased,  and,  seeing  the  great 
danger,  the  Admiral  began  to  run  before  it,  there  being 
nothing  else  to  be  done.  The  caravel  Pinta  began  to  run 
before  the  wind  at  the  same  time,  and  Martin  Alonso  ran 
her  out  of  sight,  although  the  Admiral  kept  showing  lan 
terns  all  night,  and  the  other  answered.  It  would  seem 
that  she  could  do  no  more,  owing  to  the  force  of  the  tem 
pest,  and  she  was  taken  far  from  the  route  of  the  Admiral. 
He  steered  that  night  E.  N.  E.,  and  made  fifty-four  miles, 


OF  THi 


Frontispiece  of  the  earliest  known  edition  of  Dati's  metrical  version 
of  Columbus' s  letter  dated  June  15,  1493.  From  the  unique  original 
in  the  Biblioteca  Columbina  in  Seville. 


TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  225 

equal  to  thirteen  leagues.  At  sunrise  the  wind  blew  still 
harder,  and  the  cross  sea  was  terrific.  They  continued  to 
show  the  closely  reefed  mainsail,  to  enable  her  to  rise  from 
between  the  waves,  or  she  would  otherwise  have  been 
swamped.  An  E.  N.  E.  course  was  steered,  and  after 
wards  N.  E.  by  E.  for  six  hours,  making  seven  and  one- 
half  leagues.  The  Admiral  ordered  that  a  pilgrimage  should 
be  made  to  Our  Lady  of  Guadaloupe,  carrying  a  candle  of 
six  pounds  of  weight  in  wax,  and  that  all  the  crew  should 
take  an  oath  that  the  pilgrimage  should  be  made  by  the  man 
on  whom  the  lot  fell.  As  many  beans  were  got  as  there 
were  persons  on  board,  and  on  one  a  cross  was  cut  with 
a  knife.  They  were  then  put  into  a  cap  and  shaken  up. 
The  first  who  put  in  his  hand  was  the  Admiral,  and  he 
drew  out  the  bean  with  a  cross,  so  the  lot  fell  on  him;  and 
he  was  bound  to  go  on  the  pilgrimage  and  fulfil  the  vow. 
Another  lot  was  drawn,  to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Our  Lady 
of  Loreto,  which  is  in  the  march  of  Ancona,  in  the  Papal 
territory,  a  house  where  Our  Lady  works  many  and  great 
miracles.  The  lot  fell  on  a  sailor  of  the  port  of  Santa 
Maria,  named  Pedro  de  Villa,  and  the  Admiral  promised  to 
pay  his  travelling  expenses.  Another  pilgrimage  was  agreed 
upon,  to  watch  for  one  night  in  Santa  Clara  at  Moguer,  and 
have  a  Mass  said,  for  which  they  again  used  the  beans,  in 
cluding  the  one  with  a  cross.  The  lot  again  fell  on  the 
Admiral.  After  this  the  Admiral  and  all  the  crew  made  a 
vow  that,  on  arriving  at  the  first  land,  they  would  all  go  in 
procession,  in  their  shirts,  to  say  their  prayers  in  a  church 
dedicated  to  Our  Lady. 

Besides  these  general  vows  made  in  common,  each  sailor 
made  a  special  vow  ;  for  no  one  expected  to  escape,  hold 
ing  themselves  for  lost,  owing  to  the  fearful  weather  from 
which  they  were  suffering.  The  want  of  ballast  increased 
the  danger  of  the  ship,  which  had  become  light,  owing 
to  the  consumption  of  the  provisions  and  water.  On  ac 
count  of  the  favorable  weather  enjoyed  among  the  islands, 
the  Admiral  had  omitted  to  make  provision  for  this  need, 


226  DISCOVER  Y  AND  EXPL  ORA  riON 

thinking  that  ballast  might  be  taken  on  board  at  the  island 
inhabited  by  women,  which  he  had  intended  to  visit.  The 
only  thing  to  do  was  to  fill  the  barrels  that  had  contained 
wine  or  fresh  water  with  water  from  the  sea,  and  this 
supplied  a  remedy. 

Here  the  Admiral  writes  of  the  causes  which  made  him 
fear  that  he  would  perish,  and  of  others  that  gave  him  hope 
that  God  would  work  his  salvation,  in  order  that  such  news 
as  he  was  bringing  to  the  Sovereigns  might  not  be  lost.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  the  strong  desire  he  felt  to  bring  such 
great  news,  and  to  show  that  all  he  had  said  and  offered  to 
discover  had  turned  out  true,  suggested  the  fear  that  he 
would  not  be  able  to  do  so,  and  that  each  stinging  in 
sect  would  be  able  to  thwart  and  impede  the  work.  He 
attributes  this  fear  to  his  little  faith,  and  to  his  want  of 
confidence  in  Divine  Providence.  He  was  comforted,  on 
the  other  hand,  by  the  mercies  of  God  in  having  vouchsafed 
him  such  a  victory,  in  the  discoveries  he  had  made,  and  in 
that  God  had  complied  with  all  his  desires  in  Castille,  after 
much  adversity  and  many  misfortunes.  As  he  had  before 
put  all  his  trust  in  God,  who  had  heard  him  and  granted  all 
he  sought,  he  ought  now  to  believe  that  God  would  permit 
the  completion  of  what  had  been  begun,  and  ordain  that  he 
should  be  saved.  Especially  as  He  had  freed  him  on  the 
voyage  out,  when  he  had  still  greater  reason  to  fear,  from 
the  trouble  caused  by  the  sailors  and  people  of  his  company, 
who  all  with  one  voice  declared  their  intention  to  return, 
and  protested  that  they  would  rise  against  him.  But  the 
eternal  God  gave  him  force  and  valor  to  withstand  them 
all,  and  in  many  other  marvellous  ways  had  God  shown  his 
will  in  this  voyage  besides  those  known  to  their  Highnesses. 
Thus  he  ought  not  to  fear  the  present  tempest,  though  his 
weakness  and  anxiety  prevent  him  from  giving  tranquil 
lity  to  his  mind.  He  says  further  that  it  gave  him  great 
sorrow  to  think  of  the  two  sons  he  had  left  at  their  studies 
in  Cordova,  who  would  be  left  orphans,  without  father  or 
mother,  in  a  strange  land;  while  the  Sovereigns  would  not 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN 


227 


know  of  the  services  he  had  performed  in  this  voyage,  nor 
would  they  receive  the  prosperous  news  which  would  move 
them  to  help  the  orphans.  To  remedy  this,  and  that  their 
Highnesses  might  know  how  our  Lord  had  granted  a  victory 
in  all  that  could  be  desired  respecting  the  Indies,  and  that 
they  might  understand  that  there  were  no  storms  in  those 
parts,  which  may  be  known  by  the  herbs  and  trees  which 
grow  even  within  the  sea;  also  that  the  Sovereigns  might 
still  have  information,  even  if  he  perished  in  the  storm,  he 
took  a  parchment  and  wrote  on  it  as  good  an  account  as 
he  could  of  all  he  had  discovered,  entreating  anyone  who 
might  pick  it  up  to  deliver  it  to  the  Sovereigns.  He  rolled 
this  parchment  up  in  waxed  cloth,  fastened  it  securely, 
ordered  a  large  wooden  barrel  to  be  brought,  and  put  it 
inside,  so  that  no  one  else  knew  what  it  was.  They 
thought  that  it  was  some  act  of  devotion,  and  so  he  ordered 
the  barrel  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea.  Afterwards,  in  the 
showers  and  squalls,  the  wind  veered  to  the  W.,  and  they 
went  before  it,  only  with  the  foresail,  in  a  very  confused 
sea,  for  five  hours.  They  made  two  and  one-half  leagues 
N.  E.  They  had  taken  in  the  reefed  mainsail,  for  fear 
some  wave  of  the  sea  should  carry  all  away. 

Friday,  I5th  of  February. 

Last  night,  after  sunset,  the  sky  began  to  clear  towards 
the  W.,  showing  that  the  wind  was  inclined  to  come  from 
that  quarter.  The  Admiral  added  the  bonnet  to  the  main 
sail.  The  sea  was  still  very  high,  although  it  had  gone 
down  slightly.  They  steered  E.  N.  E.,  and  went  four  miles 
an  hour,  which  made  eleven  leagues  during  the  eleven  hours 
of  the  night.  After  sunrise  they  sighted  land.  It  appeared 
from  the  bows  to  bear  E.  N.  E.  Some  said  it  was  the 
island  of  Madeira,  others  that  it  was  the  rock  of  Cintra, 
in  Portugal,  near  Lisbon.  Presently  the  wind  headed  to 
E.  N.  E.,  and  a  heavy  sea  came  from  the  W.,  the  caravel 
being  five  leagues  from  the  land.  The  Admiral  found  by 
his  reckoning  that  he  was  close  to  the  Azores,  and  believed 


228  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

that  this  was  one  of  them.      The  pilots  and  sailors  thought 
it  was  the  land  of  Castille. 

Saturday,  i6th  of  February. 

All  that  night  the  Admiral  was  standing  off  and  on  to 
keep  clear  of  the  land,  which  they  now  knew  to  be  an 
island,  sometimes  standing  N.  E.,  at  others  N.  N.  E.,  until 
sunrise,  when  they  tacked  to  the  S.  to  reach  the  island, 
which  was  now  concealed  by  a  great  mist.  Another  island 
was  in  sight  from  the  poop,  at  a  distance  of  eight  leagues. 
Afterwards,  from  sunrise  until  dark,  they  were  tacking  to 
reach  the  land  against  a  strong  wind  and  head  sea.  At  the 
time  of  repeating  the  Salve,  which  is  just  before  dark,  some 
of  the  men  saw  a  light  to  leeward,  and  it  seemed  that  it 
must  be  on  the  island  they  first  saw  yesterday.  All  night 
they  were  beating  to  windward,  and  going  as  near  as  they 
could,  so  as  to  see  some  way  to  the  island  at  sunrise.  That 
night  the  Admiral  got  a  little  rest,  for  he  had  not  slept  nor 
been  able  to  sleep  since  Wednesday,  and  his  legs  were  very 
sore  from  long  exposure  to  the  wet  and  cold.  At  sunrise 
he  steered  S.  S.  W.,  and  reached  the  island  at  night,  but 
could  not  make  out  what  island  it  was,  owing  to  the  thick 
weather. 

Monday,  i8th  of  February. 

Yesterday,  after  sunset,  the  Admiral  was  sailing  round 
the  island,  to  see  where  he  could  anchor  and  open  commu 
nications.  He  let  go  one  anchor,  which  he  presently  lost, 
and  then  stood  off  and  on  all  night.  After  sunrise  he  again 
reached  the  N.  side  of  the  island,  where  he  anchored, 
and  sent  the  boat  on  shore.  They  had  speech  with  the 
people,  and  found  that  it  was  the  island  of  Santa  Maria, 
one  of  the  Azores.  They  pointed  out  the  port  to  which 
the  caravel  should  go.  They  said  that  they  had  never  seen 
such  stormy  weather  as  there  had  been  for  the  last  fifteen 
days,  and  they  wondered  how  the  caravel  could  have 
escaped.  They  gave  many  thanks  to  God,  and  showed 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  229 

great  joy  at  the  news  that  the  Admiral  had  discovered  the 
Indies.  The  Admiral  says  that  his  navigation  had  been 
very  certain,  and  that  he  had  laid  the  discoveries  down  on 
the  chart.  Many  thanks  were  due  to  our  Lord,  although 
there  had  been  some  delay.  But  he  was  sure  that  he  was 
in  the  region  of  the  Azores,  and  that  this  was  one  of  them. 
He  pretended  to  have  gone  over  more  ground,  to  mislead 
the  pilots  and  mariners  who  pricked  off  the  charts,  in  order 
that  he  might  remain  master  of  that  route  to  the  Indies,  as, 
in  fact,  he  did.  For  none  of  the  others  kept  an  accurate 
reckoning,  so  that  no  one  but  himself  could  be  sure  of  the 
route  to  the  Indies. 

Tuesday,  iQth  of  February. 

After  sunset  three  natives  of  the  island  came  to  the  beach 
and  hailed.  The  Admiral  sent  the  boat,  which  returned 
with  fowls  and  fresh  bread.  It  was  carnival  time,  and  they 
brought  other  things  which  were  sent  by  the  captain  of  the 
island,  named  Juan  de  Castaneda,  saying  that  he  knew 
the  Admiral  very  well,  and  that  he  did  not  come  to  see  him 
because  it  was  night,  but  that  at  dawn  he  would  come  with 
more  refreshments,  bringing  with  him  three  men  of  the 
boat's  crew,  whom  he  did  not  send  back  owing  to  the  great 
pleasure  he  derived  from  hearing  their  account  of  the  voyage. 
The  Admiral  ordered  much  respect  to  be  shown  to  the 
messengers,  and  that  they  should  be  given  beds  to  sleep  in 
that  night,  because  it  was  late,  and  the  town  was  far  off. 
As  on  the  previous  Thursday,  when  they  were  in  the  midst 
of  the  storm,  they  had  made  a  vow  to  go  in  procession  to  a 
church  of  Our  Lady  as  soon  as  they  came  to  land,  the 
Admiral  arranged  that  half  the  crew  should  go  to  comply 
with  their  obligation  to  a  small  chapel,  like  a  hermitage, 
near  the  shore;  and  that  he  would  himself  go  afterwards 
with  the  rest.  Believing  that  it  was  a  peaceful  land,  and 
confiding  in  the  offers  of  the  captain  of  the  island,  and  in  the 
peace  that  existed  between  Spain  and  Portugal,  he  asked 
the  three  men  to  go  to  the  town  and  arrange  for  a  priest  to 


230  DISCO7ERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

come  and  say  Mass.  The  half  of  the  crew  then  went  in 
their  shirts,  in  compliance  with  their  vow.  While  they 
were  at  their  prayers,  all  the  people  of  the  town,  horse  and 
foot,  with  the  captain  at  their  head,  came  and  took  them 
all  prisoners.  The  Admiral,  suspecting  nothing,  was  wait 
ing  for  the  boat  to  take  him  and  the  rest  to  accomplish 
the  vow.  At  eleven  o'clock,  seeing  that  they  did  not  come 
back,  he  feared  that  they  had  been  detained,  or  that  the  boat 
had  been  swamped,  all  the  island  being  surrounded  by  high 
rocks.  He  could  not  see  what  had  taken  place,  because 
the  hermitage  was  round  a  point.  He  got  up  the  anchor, 
and  made  sail  until  he  was  in  full  view  of  the  hermitage, 
and  he  saw  many  of  the  horsemen  dismount  and  get  into 
the  boat  with  arms.  They  came  to  the  caravel  to  seize  the 
Admiral.  The  captain  stood  up  in  the  boat,  and  asked  for 
an  assurance  of  safety  from  the  Admiral,  who  replied  that 
he  granted  it ;  but,  what  outrage  was  this,  that  he  saw  none 
of  his  people  in  the  boat?  The  Admiral  added  that  they 
might  come  on  board,  and  that  he  would  do  all  that  might 
be  proper.  The  Admiral  tried,  with  fair  words,  to  get  hold 
of  this  captain,  that  he  might  recover  his  own  people,  not 
considering  that  he  broke  faith  by  giving  him  security,  be 
cause  he  had  offered  peace  and  security,  and  had  then 
broken  his  word.  The  captain,  as  he  came  with  an  evil 
intention,  would  not  come  on  board.  Seeing  that  he  did 
not  come  alongside,  the  Admiral  asked  that  he  might  be 
told  the  reason  for  the  detention  of  his  men,  an  act  which 
would  displease  the  King  of  Portugal,  because  the  Portu 
guese  received  much  honor  in  the  territories  of  the  King  of 
Castille,  and  were  as  safe  as  if  they  were  in  Lisbon.  He 
further  said  that  the  Sovereigns  had  given  him  letters  of 
recommendation  to  all  the  Lords  and  Princes  of  the  world, 
which  he  would  show  the  captain  if  he  would  come  on 
board;  that  he  was  the  Admiral  of  the  Ocean  Sea,  and 
Viceroy  of  the  Indies,  which  belonged  to  their  Highnesses, 
and  that  he  would  show  the  commissions  signed  with  their 
signatures,  and  attested  by  their  seals,  which  he  held  up 


THE  rRIUMPHANr  RErURN 


231 


from  a  distance.  He  added  that  his  Sovereigns  were  in 
friendship  and  amity  with  the  King  of  Portugal,  and  had 
ordered  that  all  honor  should  be  shown  to  ships  that  came 
from  Portugal.  Further,  that  if  the  captain  did  not  sur 
render  his  people,  he  would  still  go  on  to  Castille,  as  he  had 
quite  sufficient  to  navigate  as  far  as  Seville,  in  which  case 
the  captain  and  his  followers  would  be  severely  punished 
for  their  offence.  Then  the  captain  and  those  with  him 
replied  that  they  did  not  know  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Castille  there,  nor  their  letters,  nor  were  they  afraid  of  them, 
and  they  would  give  the  Admiral  to  understand  that  this 
was  Portugal,  almost  menacing  him.  On  hearing  this  the 
Admiral  was  much  moved,  thinking  that  some  cause  of 
disagreement  might  have  arisen  between  the  two  kingdoms 
during  his  absence,  yet  he  could  not  endure  that  they  should 
not  be  answered  reasonably.  Afterwards  he  turned  to  the 
captain,  and  said  that  he  should  go  to  the  port  with  the  cara 
vel,  and  that  all  that  had  been  done  would  be  reported  to 
the  King  his  Lord.  The  Admiral  made  those  who  were 
in  the  caravel  bear  witness  to  what  he  said,  calling  to  the 
captain  and  all  the  others,  and  promising  that  he  would  not 
leave  the  caravel  until  a  hundred  Portuguese  had  been  taken 
to  Castille,  and  all  that  island  had  been  laid  waste.  He 
then  returned  to  anchor  in  the  port  where  he  was  first,  the 
wind  being  very  unfavorable  for  doing  anything  else. 

Wednesday,  2Oth  of  February. 

The  Admiral  ordered  the  ship  to  be  repaired,  and  the  casks 
to  be  filled  alongside  for  ballast.  This  was  a  very  bad  port, 
and  he  feared  he  might  have  to  cut  the  cables.  This  was 
so,  and  he  made  sail  for  the  island  of  San  Miguel;  but  there  is 
no  good  port  in  any  of  the  Azores  for  the  weather  they  then 
experienced,  and  there  was  no  other  remedy  but  to  go  to  sea. 

Thursday,  list  of  February. 

Yesterday  the  Admiral  left  that  island  of  Santa  Maria  for 
that  of  San  Miguel,  to  see  if  a  port  could  be  found  to  shelter 


232 


DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 


his  vessel  from  the  bad  weather.  There  was  much  wind 
and  a  high  sea,  and  he  was  sailing  until  night  without  being 
able  to  see  either  one  land  or  the  other,  owing  to  the  thick 
weather  caused  by  wind  and  sea.  The  Admiral  says  he  was 
in  much  anxiety,  because  he  only  had  three  sailors  who 
knew  their  business,  the  rest  knowing  nothing  of  seaman 
ship.  He  was  lying  to  all  that  night,  in  great  danger  and 
trouble.  Our  Lord  showed  him  mercy  in  that  the  waves 
came  in  one  direction,  for  if  there  had  been  a  cross  sea 
they  would  have  suffered  much  more.  After  sunrise  the 
island  of  San  Miguel  was  not  in  sight,  so  the  Admiral 
determined  to  return  to  Santa  Maria,  to  see  if  he  could 
recover  his  people  and  boat,  and  the  anchors  and  cables  he 
had  left  there. 

The  Admiral  says  that  he  was  astonished  at  the  bad 
weather  he  encountered  in  the  region  of  these  islands.  In 
the  Indies  he  had  navigated  throughout  the  winter  with 
out  the  necessity  for  anchoring,  and  always  had  fine  weather, 
never  having  seen  the  sea  for  a  single  hour  in  such  a  state 
that  it  could  not  be  navigated  easily.  But  among  these 
islands  he  had  suffered  from  such  terrible  storms.  The  same 
had  happened  in  going  out  as  far  as  the  Canary  Islands,  but 
as  soon  as  they  were  passed  there  was  always  fine  weather, 
both  in  sea  and  air.  In  concluding  these  remarks,  he 
observes  that  the  sacred  theologians  and  wise  men  said  well 
when  they  placed  the  terrestrial  paradise  in  the  Far  East, 
because  it  was  a  most  temperate  region.  Hence  these 
lands  that  he  had  now  discovered  must,  he  says,  be  in  the 
extreme  East. 

Friday,  22nd  of  February. 

Yesterday  the  Admiral  came  to  off  Santa  Maria,  in  the 
place  or  port  where  he  had  first  anchored.  Presently  a 
man  came  down  to  some  rocks  at  the  edge  of  the  beach, 
hailing  that  they  were  not  to  remain  there.  Soon  after 
wards  the  boat  came  with  five  sailors,  two  priests,  and  a 
scrivener.  They  asked  for  safety,  and  when  it  was  granted 


THE  TRIUMPHANT:  RETURN 


233 


by  the  Admiral,  they  came  on  board,  and,  as  it  was  night 
they  slept  on  board,  the  Admiral  showing  them  all  the 
civility  he  could.  In  the  morning  they  asked  to  be  shown 
the  authority  of  the  Sovereigns  of  Castille,  by  which  the 
voyage  had  been  made.  The  Admiral  felt  that  they  did 
this  to  give  some  color  of  right  to  what  they  had  done,  and 
to  show  that  they  had  right  on  their  side.  As  they  were 
unable  to  secure  the  person  of  the  Admiral,  whom  they  in 
tended  to  get  into  their  power  when  they  came  with  the  boat 
armed,  they  now  feared  that  their  game  might  not  turn  out 
so  well,  thinking,  with  some  fear,  of  what  the  Admiral  had 
threatened,  and  which  he  proposed  to  put  into  execution. 
In  order  to  get  his  people  released,  the  Admiral  displayed 
the  general  letter  of  the  Sovereigns  to  all  Princes  and  Lords, 
and  other  documents,  and  having  given  them  of  what  he 
had,  the  Portuguese  went  on  shore  contented,  and  presently 
released  all  the  crew  and  the  boat.  The  Admiral  heard 
from  them  that  if  he  had  been  captured  also,  they  never 
would  have  been  released,  for  the  captain  said  that  those 
were  the  orders  of  the  King  his  Lord. 

Saturday,  23rd  of  February. 

Yesterday  the  weather  began  to  improve,  and  the  Admiral 
got  under  weigh  to  seek  a  better  anchorage,  where  he  could 
take  in  wood  and  stones  for  ballast  j  but  he  did  not  find  one 
until  late. 

Sunday,  24th  of  February. 

He  anchored  yesterday  in  the  afternoon,  to  take  in  wood 
and  stones,  but  the  sea  was  so  rough  that  they  could  not 
land  from  the  boat,  and  during  the  first  watch  it  came  on 
to  blow  from  the  W.  and  S.  W.  He  ordered  sail  to  be 
made,  owing  to  the  great  danger  there  is  off  these  islands  in 
being  at  anchor  with  a  southerly  gale,  and  as  the  wind  was 
S.  W.  it  would  go  round  to  S.  As  it  was  a  good  wind 
for  Castille,  he  gave  up  his  intention  of  taking  in  wood  and 
stones,  and  shaped  an  easterly  course  until  sunset,  going 


234  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

seven  miles  an  hour  for  six  hours  and  a  half,  equal  to  forty- 
five  and  one-half  miles.  After  sunset  he  made  six  miles  an 
hour,  or  sixty-six  miles  in  eleven  hours,  altogether  one  hun 
dred  and  eleven  miles,  equal  to  twenty-eight  leagues. 

Monday,  2fth  of  February. 

Yesterday,  after  sunset,  the  caravel  went  at  the  rate  of 
five  miles  an  hour  on  an  easterly  course,  and  in  the  eleven 
hours  of  the  night  she  made  sixty-five  miles,  equal  to  six 
teen  and  one-quarter  leagues.  From  sunrise  to  sunset  they 
made  another  sixteen  and  one-half  leagues  with  a  smooth 

O 

sea,  thanks  be  to  God.  A  very  large  bird,  like  an  eagle, 
came  to  the  caravel. 

Tuesday,  i6th  of  February. 

Yesterday  night  the  caravel  steered  her  course  in  a  smooth 
sea,  thanks  be  to  God.  Most  of  the  time  she  was  going 
eight  miles  an  hour,  and  made  a  hundred  miles,  equal  to 
twenty-five  leagues.  After  sunrise  there  was  a  little  wind 
and  some  rain  showers.  They  made  about  eight  leagues 
E.  N.  E. 

Wednesday,  2jth  of  February. 

During  the  night  and  day  she  was  off  her  course,  owing 
to  contrary  winds  and  a  heavy  sea.  She  was  found  to  be 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  leagues  from  Cape  St.  Vincent, 
and  eighty  from  the  island  of  Madeira,  one  hundred  and  six 
from  Santa  Maria.  It  was  very  troublesome  to  have  such  bad 
weather  just  when  they  were  at  the  very  door  of  their  home. 

Thursday,  28th  of  February. 

The  same  weather  during  the  night,  with  the  wind  from 
S.  and  S.  E.,  sometimes  shifting  to  N.  E.  and  E.  N.  E.,  and 
it  was  the  same  all  day. 

Friday,  ist  of  March. 

To-night  the  course  was  E.  N.  E.,  and  they  made  twelve 
leagues.  During  the  day,  twenty-three  and  one-half  leagues 
on  the  same  course. 


TRIUMPHANT  RETURN  235 

Saturday,  2nd  of  March. 

The  course  was  E.  N.  E.,  and  distance  made  good  twenty- 
eight  leagues  during  the  night,  and  twenty  in  the  day. 

Sunday,  3rd  of  March. 

After  sunset  the  course  was  E. ;  but  a  squall  came  down, 
split  all  the  sails,  and  the  vessel  was  in  great  danger;  but 
God  was  pleased  to  deliver  them.  They  drew  lots  for 
sending  a  pilgrim  in  a  shirt  to  Santa  Maria  de  la  Cinta  at 
Huelva,  and  the  lot  fell  on  the  Admiral.  The  whole  crew 
also  made  a  vow  to  fast  on  bread  and  water  during  the  first 
Saturday  after  their  arrival  in  port.  They  had  made  sixty 
miles  before  the  sails  were  split.  Afterwards  they  ran  under 
bare  poles,  owing  to  the  force  of  the  gale  and  the  heavy 
sea.  They  saw  signs  of  the  neighborhood  of  land,  finding 
themselves  near  Lisbon. 

Monday,  4th  of  March. 

During  the  night  they  were  exposed  to  a  terrible  storm, 
expecting  to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  cross  seas,  while  the 
wind  seemed  to  raise  the  caravel  into  the  air,  and  there  was 
rain  and  lightning  in  several  directions.  The  Admiral 
prayed  to  our  Lord  to  preserve  them,  and  in  the  first  watch 
it  pleased  our  Lord  to  show  land,  which  was  reported  by 
the  sailors.  As  it  was  advisable  not  to  reach  it  before  it 
was  known  whether  there  was  any  port  to  which  he  could 
run  for  shelter,  the  Admiral  set  the  mainsail,  as  there  was 
no  other  course  but  to  proceed,  though  in  great  danger. 
Thus  God  preserved  them  until  daylight,  though  all  the 
time  they  were  in  infinite  fear  and  trouble.  When  it  was 
light,  the  Admiral  knew  the  land,  which  was  the  rock  of 
Cintra,  near  the  river  of  Lisbon,  and  he  resolved  to  run  in 
because  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done.  So  terrible  was 
the  storm,  that  in  the  village  of  Cascaes,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  the  people  were  praying  for  the  little  vessel  all  that 
morning.  After  they  were  inside,  the  people  came  off, 
looking  upon  their  escape  as  a  miracle.  At  the  third  hour 


236 


DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 


they  passed  Rastelo,  within  the  river  of  Lisbon,  where  they 
were  told  that  such  a  winter,  with  so  many  storms,  had  never 
before  been  known,  and  that  twenty-five  ships  had  been  lost 
in  Flanders,  while  others  had  been  wind-bound  in  the  river 
for  four  months.  Presently  the  Admiral  wrote  to  the  King 
of  Portugal,  who  was  then  at  a  distance  of  nine  leagues,  to 
state  that  the  Sovereigns  of  Castille  had  ordered  him  to  enter 
the  ports  of  his  Highness,  and  ask  what  he  required  for  pay 
ment,  and  requesting  that  the  King  would  give  permission 
for  the  caravel  to  come  to  Lisbon,  because  some  ruffians, 
hearing  that  he  had  much  gold  on  board,  might  attempt  a 
robbery  in  an  unfrequented  port,  knowing  that  they  did  not 
come  from  Guinea,  but  from  the  Indies. 

Tuesday,  5th  of  March. 

To-day  the  great  ship  of  the  King  of  Portugal  was  also 
at  anchor  off  Rastelo,  with  the  best  provision  of  artillery 
and  arms  that  the  Admiral  had  ever  seen.  The  master  of 
her,  named  Bartolome  Diaz,  of  Lisbon,  came  in  an  armed 
boat  to  the  caravel,  and  ordered  the  Admiral  to  get  into 
the  boat,  to  go  and  give  an  account  of  himself  to  the  agents 
of  the  king  and  to  the  captain  of  that  ship.  The  Admiral 
replied  that  he  was  the  Admiral  of  the  Sovereigns  of  Castille, 
and  that  he  would  not  give  an  account  to  any  such  persons, 
nor  would  he  leave  the  ship  except  by  force,  as  he  had  not 
the  power  to  resist.  The  master  replied  that  he  must  then 
send  the  master  of  the  caravel.  The  Admiral  answered 
that  neither  the  master  nor  any  other  person  should  go 
except  by  force,  for  if  he  allowed  anyone  to  go,  it  would  be 
as  if  he  went  himself;  and  that  such  was  the  custom  of  the 
Admirals  of  the  Sovereigns  of  Castille,  rather  to  die  than  to 
submit,  or  to  let  any  of  their  people  submit.  The  master 
then  moderated  his  tone,  and  told  the  Admiral  that  if  that 
was  his  determination  he  might  do  as  he  pleased.  He, 
however,  requested  that  he  might  be  shown  the  letters  of 
the  King  of  Castille,  if  they  were  on  board.  The  Admiral 
readily  showed  them,  and  the  master  returned  to  the  ship  and 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN 


237 


reported  what  had  happened  to  the  captain,  named  Alvaro 
Dama.  That  officer,  making  great  festival  with  trumpets 
and  drums,  came  to  the  caravel  to  visit  the  Admiral,  and 
offered  to  do  all  that  he  might  require. 

Wednesday,  6th  of  March. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  the  Admiral  came  from  the 
Indies,  it  was  wonderful  how  many  people  came  from  Lisbon 
to  see  him  and  the  Indians,  giving  thanks  to  our  Lord,  and 
saying  that  the  heavenly  Majesty  had  given  all  this  to  the 
Sovereigns  of  Castille  as  a  reward  for  their  faith  and  their 
great  desire  to  serve  God. 

Thursday,  yth  of  March. 

To-day  an  immense  number  of  people  came  to  the  cara 
vel,  including  many  knights,  and  amongst  them  the  agents 
of  the  king,  and  all  gave  infinite  thanks  to  our  Lord  for  so 
wide  an  increase  of  Christianity  granted  by  our  Lord  to  the 
Sovereigns  of  Castille;  and  they  said  that  they  received  it 
because  their  Highnesses  had  worked  and  labored  for  the 
increase  of  the  religion  of  Christ. 

Friday,  8th  of  March. 

To-day  the  Admiral  received  a  letter  from  the  King  of 
Portugal,  brought  by  Don  Martin  de  Norona,  asking  him 
to  visit  him  where  he  was,  as  the  weather  was  not  suitable 
for  the  departure  of  the  caravel.  He  complied,  to  prevent 
suspicion,  although  he  did  not  wish  to  go,  and  wTent  to  pass 
the  night  at  Sacanben.  The  king  had  given  orders  to  his 
officers  that  all  that  the  Admiral,  his  crew,  and  the  caravel 
were  in  need  of  should  be  given  without  payment,  and  that 
all  the  Admiral  wanted  should  be  complied  with. 

Saturday,  Qth  of  March. 

To-day  the  Admiral  left  Sacanben,  to  go  where  the  king 
was  residing,  which  was  at  Valparaiso,  nine  leagues  from 
Lisbon.  Owing  to  the  rain,  he  did  not  arrive  until  night. 


238  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

The  king  caused  him  to  be  received  very  honorably  by  the 
principal  officers  of  his  household;  and  the  king  himself 
received  the  Admiral  with  great  favor,  making  him  sit 
down,  and  talking  very  pleasantly.  He  offered  to  give 
orders  that  everything  should  be  done  for  the  service  of  the 
Sovereigns  of  Castille,  and  said  that  the  successful  termina 
tion  of  the  voyage  had  given  him  great  pleasure.  He  said 
further  that  he  understood  that,  in  the  capitulation  between 
the  Sovereigns  and  himself,  that  conquest  belonged  to  him. 
The  Admiral  replied  that  he  had  not  seen  the  capitulation, 
nor  knew  more  than  that  the  Sovereigns  had  ordered  him 
not  to  go  either  to  Lamina  or  to  any  other  port  of  Guinea, 
and  that  this  had  been  ordered  to  be  proclaimed  in  all  the 
ports  of  Andalusia  before  he  sailed.  The  king  graciously 
replied  that  he  held  it  for  certain  that  there  would  be  no 
necessity  for  any  arbitrators.  The  Admiral  was  assigned 
as  a  guest  to  the  Prior  of  Crato,  who  was  the  principal 
person  present,  and  from  whom  he  received  many  favors 
and  civilities. 

Sunday,  loth  of  March. 

To-day,  after  Mass,  the  king  repeated  that  if  the  Admiral 
wanted  anything  he  should  have  it.  He  conversed  much 
with  the  Admiral  respecting  his  voyage,  always  ordering 
him  to  sit  down,  and  treated  him  with  great  favor. 

Monday,  nth  of  March. 

To-day  the  Admiral  took  leave  of  the  king,  who  in 
trusted  him  with  some  messages  to  the  Sovereigns,  and 
always  treated  him  with  much  friendliness.  He  departed 
after  dinner,  Don  Martin  de  Norona  being  sent  with  him, 
and  all  the  knights  set  out  with  him,  and  went  with  him 
some  distance,  to  do  him  honor.  Afterwards  he  came  to  a 
monastery  of  San  Antonio,  near  a  place  called  Villafranca, 
where  the  queen  was  residing.  The  Admiral  went  to  do 
her  reverence  and  to  kiss  her  hand,  because  she  had  sent 
to  say  that  he  was  not  to  go  without  seeing  her.  The 


THE  TRIUMPHANT  RETURN 


239 


duke  and  the  marquis  were  with  her,  and  the  Admiral  was 
received  with  much  honor.  He  departed  at  night,  and 
went  to  sleep  at  Llandra. 

Tuesday,  I2th  of  March. 

To-day,  as  he  was  leaving  Llandra  to  return  to  the 
caravel,  an  esquire  of  the  king  arrived,  with  an  offer  that, 
if  he  desired  to  go  to  Castille  by  land,  he  should  be  sup 
plied  with  lodgings,  and  beasts,  and  all  that  was  necessary. 
When  the  Admiral  took  leave  of  him,  he  ordered  a  mule  to 
be  supplied  to  him,  and  another  for  his  pilot,  who  was  with 
him,  and  he  says  that  the  pilot  received  a  present  of  twenty 
espadines.  He  said  this  that  the  Sovereigns  might  know  all 
that  was  done.  He  arrived  on  board  the  caravel  that  night. 

Wednesday,  I3th  of  March. 

To-day,  at  eight  o'clock,  with  the  flood  tide,  and  the  wind 
N.  N.  W.,  the  Admiral  got  under  weigh  and  made  sail  for 
Seville. 

Thursday,  I4th  of  March. 

Yesterday,  after  sunset,  a  southerly  course  was  steered, 
and  before  sunrise  they  were  ofF  Cape  St.  Vincent,  which  is 
in  Portugal.  Afterwards  he  shaped  a  course  to  the  E.  for 
Saltes,  and  went  on  all  day  with  little  wind,  "  until  now 
that  the  ship  is  off  Furon." 

Friday,  I5th  of  March. 

Yesterday,  after  sunset,  she  went  on  her  course  with 
little  wind,  and  at  sunrise  she  was  off  Saltes.  At  noon, 
with  the  tide  rising,  they  crossed  the  bar  of  Saltes  and 
reached  the  port  which  they  had  left  on  the  3rd  of  August 
of  the  year  before.  The  Admiral  says  that  so  ends  this 
journal,  unless  it  becomes  necessary  to  go  to  Barcelona  by 
sea,  having  received  news  that  their  Highnesses  are  in  that 
city,  to  give  an  account  of  all  his  voyage  which  our  Lord 
had  permitted  him  to  make,  and  saw  fit  to  set  forth  in  him. 


240  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

For,  assuredly,  he  held  with  a  firm  and  strong  knowledge 
that  his  high  Majesty  made  all  things  good,  and  that  all  is 
good  except  sin.  Nor  can  he  value  or  think  of  anything 
being  done  without  His  consent.  u  I  know  respecting  this 
voyage,"  says  the  Admiral, "that  He  has  miraculously  shown 
His  will,  as  may  be  seen  from  this  journal,  setting  forth  the 
numerous  miracles  that  have  been  displayed  in  the  voyage, 
and  in  me  who  was  so  long  at  the  court  of  your  Highnesses, 
working  in  opposition  to  and  against  the  opinions  of  so 
many  chief  persons  of  your  household,  who  were  all  against 
me,  looking  upon  this  enterprise  as  folly.  But  I  hope,  in 
our  Lord,  that  it  will  be  a  great  benefit  to  Christianity,  for 
so  it  has  ever  appeared."  These  are  the  final  words  of  the 
Admiral  Don  Cristoval  Colon  respecting  his  first  voyage  to 
the  Indies  and  their  discovery. 


€TlKela£attii?erdade 

raaostrabalboSq 

bo   ouernado: 


fouto  i  cer 
ttfftdal 


po:tuguefe5  paflarom 
noflfcbrimeto  t>a 


Kda. 
nouamete  feitaper  bn 


€Cf  o^vilta  po;  bo  feno;inqmftdo:. 

Titlc-jiage  of  the  Relaxant  Verdadeira,  printed  at  Evora  in  Portu 
gal,  1557,  giving  the  first  account  of  De  Soto's  discovery  and  explora 
tion  of  Florida.  From  the  excessively  rare  original  in  the  New  York 
Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE  orHER  VOYAGES  AND  EXPLORATIONS  OF 
COLUMBUS 

ON  Friday,  the  I5th  of  March,  1493,  after  an  absence 
of  seven  months  and  eleven  days,  Columbus  again  crossed 
the  bar  of  Saltes.  Hope  had  now  given  way  to  assurance, 
and  he  was  elated  with  what  he  regarded  as  the  complete 
success  of  his  undertaking.  From  the  Canary  Islands 
Columbus  had  written  to  Luis  de  Santangel  and  also  to 
the  sovereigns,  announcing  his  return,  and  describing  the 
islands  he  had  discovered  and  the  character  and  customs 
of  their  inhabitants.  Although  the  material  gains  of  the 
expedition  were  small  in  comparison  with  its  hazards  and 
outlays,  national  pride  and  the  promise  of  a  vast  extension 
of  empire  outweighed  any  deficiency  in  tangible  results. 
Spain  and  her  court  were  prepared  to  render  him  the  wel 
come  deserved  by  his  success.  His  reward  was  meted  out 
to  him  in  no  niggardly  fashion;  indeed,  almost  the  only 
praiseworthy  action  that  history  records  relating  to  Spain 
and  her  early  connection  with  the  New  World  is  that  she 
duly  honored  its  discoverer;  though  in  after  years  this  be 
coming  action  was  sadly  tarnished  by  the  unworthy  course 
pursued  when  he  was  perfidiously  cheated  of  his  guaran 
teed  honors  and  emoluments.  The  glowing  picture  of  the 
Genoese  admiral's  reception  at  the  court  of  Castile  has 
oftentimes  been  drawn  and  is  familiar  to  most  persons.  For 
the  facts  we  are  indebted  mainly  to  his  son  Ferdinand,  whose 
pride  in  his  father's  honor  is  natural,  even  though  at  times 

241 


242 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


it  perceptibly  colored  his  statements.  He  says:  "The  Ad 
miral  then  proceeded  toward  Seville,  intending  to  go  from 
there  to  Barcelona,  where  their  Catholic  majesties  were. 
He  was  compelled  to  tarry  a  little  along  the  way  thither, 
though  it  were  ever  so  little,  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  the 
people  where  he  went,  who  came  from  the  neighboring 
towns  to  the  road  along  which  he  journeyed  to  see  him, 
the  Indians,  and  the  other  things  he  brought.  Proceeding 
in  this  manner,  he  reached  Barcelona  about  the  middle  of 
April,  having  previously  sent  their  highnesses  an  account 
of  the  good  fortune  attending  his  voyage,  which  exceed 
ingly  pleased  them,  and  they  appointed  him  a  most  impress 
ive  reception,  as  a  man  that  had  performed  for  them  an 
extraordinary  commission.  All  the  court  and  city  went 
out  to  meet  him.  Their  Catholic  majesties  sat  in  public 
in  great  state,  on  costly  chairs,  under  a  canopy  of  gold 
cloth;  and  when  he  approached  to  kiss  their  hands  they 
arose  as  to  a  great  lord,  and  were  unwilling  to  give  him 
their  hands,  and  caused  him  to  sit  down  by  them.  When 
he  had  given  them  a  brief  account  of  his  voyage,  they 
permitted  him  to  retire  to  his  apartment,  to  which  he  was 
attended  by  all  the  court.  And  he  was  so  highly  honored 
and  favored  by  their  highnesses,  that  when  the  king  rode 
about  Barcelona,  the  Admiral  was  on  one  side  of  him,  and 
the  Infante  Fortuna  on  the  other,  for  before  this,  no  one 
rode  by  the  side  of  his  majesty  but  the  Infante,  who  was 
his  near  kinsman." 

In  order  to  understand  better  the  part  played  by  Spain  in 
the  discoveries  in  the  New  World,  we  should  consider  the 
conditions  which  prevailed  in  that  country  at  the  close  of 
the  fifteenth  century.  The  dominant  force  in  the  national 
and  social  life  was  the  Inquisition,  the  power  of  whose 
officers  was  almost  unlimited.  The  sombre  acts  of  this 
institution  tarnished  the  history  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  and  unhappily  gave  to  the  national  religion  in  Spain 
an  imperishable  record  of  infamy.  Far  from  spreading  the 
spirit  of  justice,  mercy,  and  truth,  it  encouraged  the  most 


THE  OTHER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


243 


fanatical  superstition  and  cruelty.  To  this  baneful  influence, 
then,  may  be  traced  the  inconsistent  elements  of  the  national 
character;  it  actuated  the  Castilian  explorers  of  the  New 
World,  who  exhibited  a  brilliant  but  lurid  mingling  of 
dashing  bravery  and  abominable  cruelty,  bigoted  piety  and 
conscienceless  avarice:  they  were  the  exponents  of  the 
controlling  spirit  of  the  nation  at  that  period. 

Spain  was  now  emerging  from  a  position  of  inferiority 
among  the  nations,  and  the  national  mind  was  exalted  with 
a  sense  of  greatness  that  naturally  predisposed  to  aggrandize 
ment  of  empire.  Previous  to  the  conquest  of  Granada  and  the 
unification  of  Aragon  and  Castile  in  the  persons  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  Spain  had  presented  to  the  world  little  more  than 
the  spectacle  of  a  group  of  weak  and  warring  provinces. 
Suddenly,  and  as  a  consequence  of  these  three  events, — the 
conquest  of  the  Moors,  the  union  of  the  thrones  of  Aragon 
and  Castile,  and  the  discovery  of  America, — Spain  astonished 
Europe  by  attaining  a  foremost  position  among  the  nations 
and  in  the  arena  of  diplomacy.  Naturally,  her  chief  rival 
was  Portugal,  owing  to  close  neighborhood  and  the  fact  of 
the  maritime  activity  of  the  latter  country.  In  those  times, 
it  was  commonly  accepted  that  all  heathen  lands  unclaimed 
by  Christian  nations  were  by  right  of  his  office  under  the  con 
trol  of  the  Pope  of  Rome,  and  that  he  could  present  the  title 
to  them  to  any  Christian  power  he  might  choose.  Pope 
Martin  V.  had  accordingly  granted  to  the  crown  of  Portugal 
the  possession  of  all  lands  that  might  be  discovered  between 
Cape  Bojador  and  the  Indies,  going  eastward.  Immediately 
upon  Columbus's  return,  an  ambassador  was  despatched  to 
Rome  with  the  announcement  of  the  new  discoveries  and  a 
request  that  the  papal  authorization  might  be  granted  for 
their  acquirement  by  the  Spanish  realm.  Pope  Alexan 
der  VI.  acceded  to  this  demand  all  the  more  willingly  because 
of  the  sovereigns'  triumph  over  the  Mohammedan  power  in 
Granada,  and  especially  because  in  the  Spaniard's  message 
there  was  the  suspicion  of  a  hint  that  in  any  case  he  intended 
to  hold  that  which  had  fallen  into  his  hands  by  discovery. 


244 


DISCO  VER  Y  AND  EX  PL  ORA  riON 


The  result  of  these  negotiations  was  the  famous  Bull  estab 
lishing  a  line  of  demarcation  on  either  side  of  which  Spain  and 
Portugal  might  discover  and  appropriate  lands  ad  infinitum, 
so  long  as  there  remained  a  foot  of  the  earth's  surface  which 
had  not  already  fallen  into  the  possession  of  some  Christian 
power.  The  extraordinary  power  claimed  by  the  Pontiff,  the 
remarkable  nature  of  the  document,  and  its  epochal  char 
acter,  are  conclusive  reasons  for  its  insertion  here  inextenso: 

The  copy  of  the  Bull  or  donation  by  the  authority  whereof 
Pope  Alexander  the  VI.  of  that  name  gave  and  granted  to 
the  kings  of  Castile  and  their  successors  the  Regions  and 
Islands  found  in  the  West  Ocean  sea  by  the  navigations 
of  the  Spaniards. 

Alexander  bishop,  the  servant  of  the  servants  of  God  : 
to  our  most  dear  beloved  son  in  Christ  King  Ferdinand; 
and  to  our  dear  beloved  daughter  in  Christ  Elizabeth  Queen 
of  Castile,  Leon,  Aragon,  Sicily,  and  Granada,  most  noble 
Princes,  Greeting  and  Apostolic  Benediction. 

Among  other  works  acceptable  to  the  divine  majesty  and 
according  to  our  heart's  desire,  this  certainly  is  the  chief, 
that  the  Catholic  faith  and  Christian  religion,  especially 
in  this  our  time  may  in  all  places  be  exalted,  amplified,  and 
enlarged,  whereby  the  health  of  souls  may  be  procured, 
and  the  barbarous  nations  subdued  and  brought  to  the  faith. 
And  therefore  whereas  by  the  favor  of  God's  clemency 
(although  not  without  equal  deserts)  we  are  called  to  this 
holy  seat  of  Peter,  and  understanding  you  to  be  true  Catholic 
Princes  as  we  have  ever  known  you,  and  as  your  noble  and 
worthy  acts  have  declared  in  manner  to  the  whole  world 
in  that  with  all  your  study,  diligence,  and  industry,  you  have 
spared  no  travels,  charges,  or  perils,  adventuring  even  the 
shedding  of  your  own  blood  with  applying  your  whole 
minds  and  endeavors  hereunto,  as  your  noble  expeditions 
achieved  in  recovering  the  kingdom  of  Granada  from  the 
tyranny  of  the  Saracens  in  these  our  days,  do  plainly  declare 
your  facts  with  so  great  glory  of  the  Divine  Name.  For 


THE  Or  HER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  245 

the  which  as  we  think  you  worthy,  so  ought  we  of  our  own 
free  will  favorably  to  grant  you  all  things  whereby  you  may 
daily  with  more  fervent  minds  to  the  honor  of  God  and 
enlarging  the  Christian  empire,  prosecute  your  devout 
and  laudable  purpose  most  acceptable  to  the  immortal  God. 
We  are  credibly  informed  that  whereas  of  late  you  were 
determined  to  seek  and  find  certain  Islands  and  firm  lands 
far  remote  and  unknown  (and  not  heretofore  found  by  any 
other)  to  the  intent  to  bring  the  inhabitants  of  the  same  to 
honor  our  Redeemer  and  to  profess  the  Catholic  faith,  you 
have  hitherto  been  much  occupied  in  the  expurgation  and 
recovery  of  the  kingdom  of  Granada,  by  reason  whereof 
you  could  not  bring  your  said  laudable  purpose  to  the  end 
desired.  Nevertheless  as  it  hath  pleased  Almighty  God, 
the  aforesaid  kingdom  being  recovered,  willing  to  accom 
plish  your  said  desire,  you  have,  not  without  great  labor, 
perils,  and  charges,  appointed  our  well  beloved  son  Christo 
pher  Columbus  (a  man  certainly  well  commended  as  most 
worthy  and  apt  for  so  great  a  matter)  well  furnished  with 
men  and  ships  and  other  necessaries,  to  seek  (by  the  sea 
where  hitherto  no  man  hath  sailed)  such  firm  lands  and 
Islands  far  remote  and  hitherto  unknown.  Who  (by  God's 
help)  making  diligent  search  in  the  Ocean  sea,  hath  found 
certain  remote  Islands  and  firm  lands  which  were  not  here 
tofore  found  by  any  other.  In  the  which  (as  is  said)  many 
nations  inhabit  living  peaceably  and  going  naked,  not  accus 
tomed  to  eat  flesh.  And  as  far  as  your  messengers  can 
conjecture,  the  nations  inhabiting  the  aforesaid  lands  and 
Islands  believe  that  there  is  one  God  Creator  in  heaven ; 
and  seem  apt  to  be  brought  to  the  embracing  of  the  Catholic 
faith  and  to  be  imbued  with  good  manners :  by  reason 
whereof,  we  may  hope  that  if  they  be  well  instructed,  they 
may  easily  be  induced  to  receive  the  name  of  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.  We  are  further  advertised  that  the  fore- 
named  Christopher  hath  now  builded  and  erected  a  fortress 
with  good  munition  on  one  of  the  aforesaid  principal 
Islands,  in  the  which  he  hath  placed  a  garrison  of  certain 


246  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  the  Christian  men  that  went  thither  with  him :  as  well 
to  the  intent  to  defend  the  same,  as  also  to  search  other 
Islands  and  firm  lands  far  remote  as  yet  unknown.  We 
also  understand,  that  in  these  lands  and  Islands  lately  found, 
is  a  great  plenty  of  gold  and  spices,  with  divers  and  many 
other  precious  things  of  sundry  kinds  and  qualities.  There 
fore  all  things  diligently  considered  (especially  the  amplifying 
and  enlarging  of  the  Catholic  faith,  as  it  behooveth  Catholic 
Princes  following  the  examples  of  your  noble  progenitors 
of  famous  memory)  whereas  you  are  determined  by  the 
favor  of  Almighty  God  to  subdue  and  bring  to  the  Catholic 
faith  the  inhabitants  of  the  aforesaid  lands  and  Islands. 

We,  greatly  commending  this  your  godly  and  laudable 
purpose  in  our  Lord,  and  desirous  to  have  the  same  brought 
to  a  due  end,  and  the  name  of  our  Saviour  to  be  known  in 
those  parts,  do  exhort  you  in  our  Lord  and  by  the  receiving 
of  your  holy  baptism  whereby  you  are  bound  to  Apostolical 
obedience,  and  earnestly  require  you  by  the  bowels  of 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  when  you  intend  for 
the  zeal  of  the  Catholic  faith  to  prosecute  the  said  expedi 
tion  to  reduce  the  people  of  the  foresaid  lands  and  Islands 
to  the  Christian  religion  you  shall  spare  no  labors  at  any 
time,  or  be  deterred  with  any  perils,  conceiving  firm  hope 
and  confidence  that  the  omnipotent  God  will  give  good 
success  to  your  godly  attempts.  And  that  being  authorized 
by  the  privilege  of  the  Apostolical  grace,  you  may  the  more 
freely  and  boldly  take  upon  you  the  enterprise  of  so  great 
a  matter,  we  of  our  own  motion  and  not  either  at  your 
request  or  at  the  instant  petition  of  any  other  person,  but 
of  our  own  mere  liberality  and  certain  science,  and  by  the 
fulness  of  Apostolical  power,  do  give,  grant,  and  assign  to 
you,  your  heirs  and  successors,  all  the  firm  lands  and  Islands 
found  or  to  be  found,  discovered  or  to  be  discovered  toward 
the  West  and  the  South,  drawing  a  line  from  the  pole 
Arctic  to  the  pole  Antarctic  (that  is)  from  the  North  to  the 
South:  Containing  in  this  donation,  whatsoever  firm  lands 
or  Islands  are  found  or  to  be  found  toward  India  or  toward 


THE  or  HER  FOT AGES  OF  COLUMBUS  247 

any  other  part  whatsoever  it  be,  being  distant  from,  or 
without  the  foresaid  line  drawn  a  hundred  leagues  toward 
the  West  and  South  from  any  of  the  Islands  which  are 
commonly  called  De  Los  Azores  and  Cabo  Verde.  All 
the  Islands  therefore  and  firm  lands,  found  and  to  be  found, 
discovered  and  to  be  discovered  from  the  said  line  toward 
the  West  and  South,  such  as  have  not  actually  been  hereto 
fore  possessed  by  any  other  Christian  king  or  prince  until 
the  day  of  the  nativity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  last  past, 
from  the  which  beginneth  this  present  year,  being  the  year 
of  our  Lord  M.  CCCC.  LXX.  XXIII.  whensoever  any 
such  shall  be  found  by  your  messengers  and  captains. 

We,  by  the  authority  of  Almighty  God  granted  unto  us 
in  St.  Peter,  and  by  the  office  which  we  bear  on  the  earth  in 
the  stead  of  Jesus  Christ,  do  forever  by  the  tenor  of  these 
presents,  give,  grant,  and  assign,  unto  you,  your  heirs,  and 
successors  (the  Kings  of  Castile  and  Leon)  all  those  lands 
and  Islands,  with  their  dominions,  territories,  cities,  castles, 
towers,  places,  and  villages,  with  all  the  rights  and  jurisdic 
tions  thereunto  pertaining;  constituting,  assigning,  and  de 
puting,  you,  your  heirs,  and  successors  the  lords  thereof, 
with  full  and  free  power,  authority,  and  jurisdiction.  De 
creeing  nevertheless  by  this  our  donation,  grant,  and  assig 
nation,  that  from  no  Christian  Prince  which  actually  hath 
possessed  the  aforesaid  Islands  and  firm  lands  until  the  day 
of  the  nativity  of  our  Lord  beforesaid  their  right  obtained  to 
be  understood  hereby  to  be  taken  away,  as  that  it  ought 
to  be  taken  away. 

Furthermore  we  command  you  in  the  virtue  of  holy 
obedience  (as  you  have  promised,  and  as  we  doubt  not  you 
will  do  upon  mere  devotion  and  princely  magnanimity)  to 
send  to  the  said  firm  lands  and  Islands,  honest,  virtuous, 
and  learned  men,  such  as  fear  God,  and  are  able  to  instruct 
the  inhabitants  in  the  Catholic  faith  and  good  manners, 
applying  all  their  possible  diligence  in  the  premises. 

We  furthermore  straitly  inhibit  all  manner  of  persons, 
of  what  state,  degree,  order,  or  condition  soever  they  be, 


248  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

though  of  imperial  or  regal  dignity,  under  the  pain  of  the 
sentence  of  excommunication  which  they  shall  incur  if 
they  do  to  the  contrary,  that  they  in  no  case  presume  with 
out  special  licence  of  you,  your  heirs,  and  successors,  to 
travel  for  merchandise  or  for  any  other  cause,  to  the  said 
lands  or  Islands,  found  or  to  be  found,  discovered  or  to  be 
discovered,  toward  the  West  and  South,  drawing  a  line 
from  the  pole  Arctic  to  the  pole  Antarctic,  whether  the 
firm  lands  and  Islands  found  and  to  be  found,  be  situate 
toward  India  or  toward  any  other  part  being  distant  from 
the  line  drawn  a  hundred  leagues  toward  the  West  from  any 
of  the  Islands  commonly  called  De  Los  Azores  and  Cabo 
Verde:  Notwithstanding  constitutions,  decrees  and  Apos 
tolical  ordinances  whatsoever  there  are  to  the  contrary :  in 
Him  from  whom  empires,  dominions,  and  all  good  things 
do  proceed:  Trusting  that  Almighty  God  directing  your 
enterprises,  if  you  follow  your  godly  and  laudable  attempts, 
your  labors  and  travels  therein,  shall  in  a  short  time  attain 
a  happy  end  with  felicity  and  glory  of  all  Christian  people, 
but  for  as  much  as  it  should  be  a  thing  of  great  difficulty 
these  letters  to  be  carried  to  all  such  places  as  should  be 
expedient,  we  will,  and  of  like  motion  and  knowledge  do 
decree  that  whithersoever  the  same  shall  be  sent,  or  where 
soever  they  shall  be  received  with  the  subscription  of  a 
common  notary  thereunto  required,  with  the  seal  of  any 
person  constitute  an  ecclesiastical  court,  or  such  as  are  au 
thorized  by  the  ecclesiastical  court,  the  same  faith  and  credit 
to  be  given  thereunto  in  judgment  or  elsewhere,  as  should 
be  exhibited  to  these  presents. 

It  shall  therefore  be  lawful  for  no  man  to  infringe  or 
rashly  to  contrary  this  letter  of  our  commendation,  exhor 
tation,  request,  donation,  grant,  assignation,  constitution, 
deputation,  decree,  commandment,  inhibition,  and  deter 
mination.  And  if  any  shall  presume  to  attempt  the  same, 
he  ought  to  know  that  he  shall  thereby  incur  the  indig 
nation  of  Almighty  God  and  his  Holy  Apostles  Peter 
and  Paul. 


THE  OTHER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


249 


Given  at  Rome  at  St.  Peter's :  In  the  year  of  the  Incar 
nation  of  our  Lord  M.  CCCC.  LXX.  XXIII.  the  fourth 
day  of  the  Nones  of  May  the -first  year  of  our  seat. 

This  decree  ceded  to  Spain  the  whole  of  the  American 
continent,  with  the  exception  of  the  Brazilian  coast.  But 
Portugal  was  dissatisfied  with  the  imaginary  north  and 
south  line  of  demarcation  extending  through  a  point  one 
hundred  leagues  from  the  Cape  Verd  Islands,  and  the 
matter  was  adjusted  by  the  treaty  of  Tordesillas,  which 
was  signed  by  the  monarchs  of  both  countries  on  June  7, 
1494,  by  virtue  of  which  this  line  was  drawn  at  a  distance 
of  three  hundred  and  seventy  leagues  west  of  the  Cape 
Verd  Islands. 

The  honors  conferred  on  Columbus  were  powerless  to 
delay  him  in  the  further  execution  of  his  project,  and,  un 
willing  to  consume  much  time  in  the  enjoyment  of  his 
triumph  in  Spain,  he  had  meanwhile  secured  the  organiza 
tion  of  a  new  expedition  under  his  direction.  There  was 
now  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  ships  or  sailors  to  man  them. 
In  order  to  provide  for  the  former,  the  sovereigns  decreed 
that  all  vessels  belonging  to  Spanish  subjects  on  the  coast 
of  Andalusia  should  be  subject  to  seizure  by  Columbus,  due 
compensation  to  be  made  to  the  owners.  Men  for  the  ad 
venture  were  abundant;  sailors  and  landsmen  everywhere 
were  eager  to  view  these  new  lands,  and  seek  their  fortunes 
there,  where  incalculable  wealth  was  reputed  to  exist.  On 
the  25th  of  September,  1493,  Columbus  sailed  from  Cadiz 
with  a  fleet  of  seventeen  vessels.  No  less  than  fifteen  hun 
dred  adventurers  accompanied  him,  and  he  was  furnished 
with  every  requisite  for  planting  new  colonies.  A  voyage 
of  thirty-eight  days  brought  the  admiral  to  the  island  of 
Dominica.  Thence  he  sailed  northward  and  discovered 
the  island  which  he  named  Santa  Maria  de  Guadalupe; 
here  his  people  went  ashore,  but  found  that  the  inhabit 
ants  had  fled  at  their  approach,  apparently  so  precipitately 


250  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

that  they  left  behind  some  of  their  children.  The  Span 
iards  tied  small  gifts  to  the  arms  of  these  infants,  and  thus 
succeeded  in  convincing  the  parents  of  the  good  will  of  their 
visitors  and  luring  them  to  intercourse.  On  this  island  the 
explorers  found  the  people  living  in  some  degree  of  com 
fort,  for  they  saw  in  the  houses  "a  great  deal  of  cotton, 
spun  and  unspun,  and  looms  to  weave."  A  less  satisfac 
tory  sight  was  the  great  number  of  human  bones  strewn 
about,  which  convinced  Columbus  and  his  men  that  they 
had  reached  the  islands  of  the  Caribbeans,  who  were  canni 
bals.  While  at  this  island,  six  women  came  to  the  ships  of 
their  own  accord,  and  it  was  learned  that  they  had  been 
taken  captives  by  the  fierce  Caribs.  These  women  were 
able  to  indicate  to  Columbus  the  way  in  which  the  island 
of  Espaiiola  lay.  Taking  them  with  him,  he  proceeded 
toward  that  point,  anxious  to  ascertain  what  fortune  had 
befallen  the  garrison  that  he  had  left  at  La  Navidad  from 
the  first  expedition.  On  the  way  he  discovered  the  islands 
of  Montserrat,  Santa  Maria  la  Redonda,  Santa  Maria  la 
Antigua,  and  the  island  of  San  Martin.  At  the  last  men 
tioned,"  which  seemed  worth  the  finding,"  the  explorers  went 
ashore.  They  found  that  the  inhabitants  here  also  were 
Caribs,  and,  unlike  the  natives  of  Espaiiola,  so  courageous 
that  they  disputed  the  Spaniards'  landing,  some  of  the  latter 
being  wounded  in  the  attempt.  On  Thursday,  the  I4th  of 
November,  they  passed  the  island  of  Santa  Cruz,  and  two 
days  later  came  to  an  island  which  was  called  by  the  natives 
"  Burenquen,"  now  known  as  Porto  Rico. 

Columbus  arrived  ofF  the  north  coast  of  Espanola  on  the 
1 2th  of  November.  As  we  have  previously  related,  he 
found  nothing  but  the  ruins  of  the  fortress  of  La  Navidad, 
the  outrageous  conduct  of  the  men  he  had  left  there  having 
brought  about  their  complete  destruction  by  Carib  Indians. 
That  Guacanagari,  the  chief  of  the  local  inhabitants, 
had  remained  faithful  to  the  Spaniards  was  proved  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  still  suffering  from  a  wound  received  in 
their  defence.  While  here,  writes  Dr.  Chanca,  who  was 


THE  orHER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


251 


physician  to  the  fleet,  "  Guacanagari's  brother,  and  others 
with  him,  came  on  board,  bringing  gold  to  barter:  on  the  day 
of  our  departure  also  they  bartered  a  great  quantity  of  gold. 
There  were  ten  women  on  board,  of  those  which  had  been 
taken  in  the  Caribbee  islands,  principally  from  Burenquen, 
and  it  was  observed  that  the  brother  of  Guacanagari  spoke 
with  them;  we  think  that  he  told  them  to  make  an  effort 
to  escape  that  night;  for  certainly  during  our  first  sleep 
they  dropped  themselves  quietly  into  the  water,  and  went 
on  shore,  so  that  by  the  time  they  were  missed  they  had 
reached  such  a  distance  that  only  four  could  be  taken  by 
the  boats  which  went  in  pursuit,  and  these  were  secured 
when  just  leaving  the  water;  they  had  to  swim  considerably 
more  than  half  a  league.  The  next  morning  the  Admiral 
sent  to  desire  that  Guacanagari  would  cause  search  to  be 
made  for  the  women  who  had  escaped  in  the  night,  and 
that  he  would  send  them  back  to  the  ships.  When  the 
messengers  arrived  they  found  the  place  forsaken  and  not  a 
soul  there." 

Columbus  now  planned  to  found  a  town  which  would 
serve  as  the  capital  of  his  viceroyalty  and  a  base  for  future 
operations  and  explorations.  With  this  object  in  view,  he 
sailed  eastward  on  the  9th  of  December.  A  suitable  spot 
being  found,  "  he  landed  with  all  his  men,  provisions  and 
implements,  which  he  brought  in  the  ships  of  the  fleet,  at  a 
plain,  near  a  rock,  on  which  a  fort  could  easily  be  built. 
Here  he  erected  a  town,  and  called  it  Isabella,  in  honor 
of  Queen  Isabella.  This  place  was  deemed  very  suitable, 
inasmuch  as  the  harbor  was  very  large,  though  exposed  to 
the  northwest,  and  had  an  attractive  river  a  bowshot  from 
it,  from  which  canah  of  water  might  be  cut  to  run  through 
the  middle  of  the  town,  and  beyond  was  an  extensive  plain, 
from  which  the  Indians  said  the  mines  of  Cibao  were  not 
very  distant.  For  these  reasons  the  Admiral  was  eager  to 
found  the  colony.  On  account  of  the  fatigue  of  the  voyage 
and  that  caused  by  his  labor  here,  he  did  not  have  time  to 
write  in  his  journal,  from  day  to  day,  what  happened,  as 


252  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

had  been  his  habit.  He  also  fell  sick,  which  interrupted 
his  writing  from  the  eleventh  of  December  to  the  twelfth 
of  March,  1494.  Meanwhile  he  administered  the  affairs  of 
the  town  according  to  his  ability.  He  instructed  Alonso 
de  Hojeda  with  fifteen  men  to  discover  the  mines  of 
Cibao.  Afterward,  on  the  second  of  February,  twelve 
ships  of  the  fleet  set  sail  for  Castile,  under  the  command 
of  Antonio  de  Torres." — (Historic  del  Fernando  Colombo?) 
Thus  was  planted  the  first  European  town  in  western 
lands. 

The  ships  carried  home  enough  gold,  found  by  Hojeda, 
to  make  credible  the  reports  which  Columbus  also  sent  of 
dazzling  prospects  in  the  plain  of  Cibao.  Chanca  wrote: 
"  The  party  that  went  to  Cibao  saw  gold  in  so  many  places 
that  one  scarcely  dares  state  the  fact,  for  in  truth  they  found 
it  in  more  than  fifty  streams  and  rivers,  as  well  as  upon 
their  banks;  so  that  the  captain  said  they  had  only  to  seek 
throughout  that  province,  and  they  would  find  as  much  as 
they  wished.  He  brought  specimens  from  the  different 
parts,  that  is,  from  the  sand  of  the  rivers  and  small  springs. 
It  is  thought  that  by  digging  as  we  know  how,  it  will  be 
found  in  greater  pieces,  for  the  Indians  neither  know  how 
to  dig  nor  have  the  means  of  digging  more  than  a  hand's 
depth.  The  other  captain,  who  went  to  Niti,  returned  also 
with  news  of  a  great  quantity  of  gold  in  three  or  four 
places;  of  which  he  likewise  brought  specimens. 

"Thus,  surely,  their  Highnesses  the  King  and  Queen 
may  henceforth  regard  themselves  as  the  most  prosperous 
and  wealthy  Sovereigns  in  the  world;  never  yet,  since  the 
creation,  has  such  a  thing  been  seen  or  read  of;  for  on 
the  return  of  the  ships  from  their  next  voyage,  they  will  be 
able  to  carry  back  such  a  quantity  of  gold  as  will  fill  with 
amazement  all  who  hear  of  it."  This  prediction  served 
for  a  time  to  allay  the  rapacious  demand  in  Spain  for  the 
enormous  profits  which  this  discovery  of  what  was  supposed 
to  be  the  extremity  of  the  Khan's  domain  was  expected  to 
yield.  Trouble,  however,  was  beginning  to  loom  up  on 


OTHER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


253 


the  horizon  of  Columbus's  life.  Disaffection  was  begin 
ning  to  manifest  itself  among  the  adventurers  at  Isabella. 
There  were  those  who  were  inclined  to  doubt  that  they 
had  reached  the  proximity  of  the  lands  described  by  Marco 
Polo,  or  were  likely  to  find  any  quantity  of  the  fabulous 
wealth  which  they  had  been  led  to  expect.  A  faction 
inimical  to  Columbus  was  created,  but  was  discovered  in 
time  for  him  to  defend  himself  from  any  immediate 
injury. 

Columbus  now  determined  to  seek  the  mainland.  Leav 
ing,  therefore,  a  council,  with  his  brother  Diego  as  president, 
to  govern  the  colony,  he  sailed  on  the  2Qth  of  April  to  the 
island  of  Cuba.  There  the  inhabitants,  in  response  to  his 
questions  as  to  where  gold  might  be  found,  pointed  to  the 
south;  and  on  the  3d  of  May  the  Admiral  went  in  search 
of  the  island  which  they  indicated.  The  result  of  this  trip 
was  the  discovery  of  Jamaica  on  the  5th  of  May,  1494. 
At  first  the  natives  were  disposed  to  receive  the  Spaniards 
with  hostility;  in  fact,  there  was  a  slight  fray  in  which 
some  of  the  Indians  were  killed;  but  the  forbearance  of 
Columbus  soon  won  them  to  accept  tokens  of  amity.  Find 
ing  no  gold,  he  returned  to  Cuba,  determined  uto  coast 
along  it,  intending  not  to  return  until  he  had  sailed  five  or 
six  hundred  leagues,  and  was  satisfied  whether  it  were  a 
continent  or  an  island."  It  is  stated  that  while  on  this 
voyage,  so  convinced  was  he — or  at  least  anxious  to  have 
all  the  world  believe — that  he  had  reached  the  mainland  of 
Cathay,  that  he  compelled  everyone  with  him  to  take  oath 
before  a  notary  that  the  land  in  sight  was  that  of  the  con 
tinent  of  Asia.  He  also  threatened  that  if  any  should  assert 
to  the  contrary  he  should  be  punished,  if  an  officer,  by  fine, 
if  a  common  person,  by  having  his  tongue  cut  out.  Ac 
cording  to  Peter  Martyr,  Columbus  believed  that  he  was  at 
that  moment  in  the  gulf  of  the  river  Ganges.  Had  he 
continued  his  journey  but  two  or  three  days  longer,  he  would 
have  discovered  the  truth.  But,  his  supplies  giving  out, 
he  resolved  to  return  to  Isabella,  which  he  reached  on  the 


254 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


29th  of  September.  The  admiral  was  so  ill  at  this  time 
that  his  men  were  obliged  to  carry  him  ashore  j  his  mind 
also  was  burdened  with  disappointment,  for  as  yet  he  had 
seen  no  signs  of  that  wealth  and  civilization  which  were 
needed  to  warrant  his  belief  that  he  had  indeed  reached  the 
dominions  of  the  Great  Khan.  On  reaching  Isabella,  he 
was  surprised  and  cheered  by  finding  his  brother  Bartholo 
mew,  who  had  been  sent  out  by  Ferdinand  in  command 
of  three  ships  bringing  supplies.  Columbus  at  once  in 
vested  his  brother  with  the  title  and  authority  of  ade- 
lantado,  putting  him  in  charge  of  the  administration  of  the 
colony. 

The  affairs  of  the  New  World  were  become  of  such 
enlarged  importance  and  complexity  as  to  be  beyond  the 
control  of  Columbus,  whose  mental  disposition  did  not 
adapt  him  to  cope  successfully  with  the  difficulties  of  ad 
ministration.  Hojeda,  whose  restless  spirit  would  neither 
.allow  him  to  abide  in  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  a  colony 
nor  carry  on  active  enterprises  in  a  subordinate  position, 
had  precipitated  the  first  war  with  the  natives.  Men  had 
been  sent  out  from  Spain  in  official  capacities  in  com 
mands  which  neutralized  Columbus's  authority  as  viceroy. 
These  were  disposed  to  manifest  an  insubordination  and  an 
unwillingness  to  operate  peacefully  with  the  admiral's  ap 
pointees.  Everything  on  the  island  of  Espanola  pointed 
to  a  disorganization  of  the  newly  instituted  Spanish  govern 
ment.  What  was  still  worse,  some  of  the  disaffected  ones 
who  had  come  out  with  Columbus  had  returned  to  Spain 
during  his  absence  to  sow  the  seeds  of  malicious  intrigue 
against  the  admiral  and  suspicious  distrust  of  him  at  the 
court.  Columbus  went  actively  to  work  to  put  down 
the  insurrection  of  the  natives,  which  had  been  aroused 
by  the  licentious  and  avaricious  conduct  of  his  country 
men.  This  he  did  with  a  firm  hand,  and  it  must  be  con 
fessed  that  in  his  future  treatment  of  the  natives  there  is  a 
diminished  measure  of  that  forbearance  and  humanity  which 
had  at  first  characterized  his  conduct  toward  them.  They 


THE  Or  HER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  255 

were  reduced  to  servitude  and  misery  by  the  laying  upon 
them  of  a  heavy  tribute.  A  great  number  were  captured 
and  sent  to  Spain.  Indeed,  Columbus  recommended  that  a 
profitable  trade  be  established  by  the  exportation  of  Indians 
to  supply  the  slave  market.  It  must  be  said,  however, 
in  extenuation  of  the  discoverer  that  he  was  but  acting  in 
conformity  with  the  custom  of  his  time,  which  recognized 
slavery  as  a  legitimate  institution. 

Having  by  these  means  established  peace  in  the  island 
and  placed  the  government  of  the  colony  in  the  hands  of 
his  brother  Bartholomew,  Columbus  started  on  the  return 
voyage  to  Spain  on  the  loth  of  March,  1496.  He  carried 
with  him  thirty  Indians,  and  among  them  Caonabo,  the 
brave  and  fierce  Carib  chief  of  Haiti.  This  cacique  was 
spared,  however,  the  experience  and  the  pain  of  exhibition 
in  the  land  of  the  invaders  of  his  country,  he  having  died 
on  the  voyage. 

Although  the  admiral  was  cordially  received  by  the  sov 
ereigns,  he  was  well  aware  that  the  star  of  his  popularity 
was  waning.  Enemies  had  misrepresented  him,  and  ad 
miration  of  his  achievements  was  fast  giving  place  to  envy 
of  his  privileges.  The  glory  of  his  discoveries  was  being 
offset  by  the  paucity  of  the  returns.  He  had  added  new 
lands  to  the  realm  of  Spain,  but  they  had  so  far  proved  to 
be  peopled  only  with  savages,  and  there  was  no  trace  of  the 
treasures  of  Cathay  to  which  he  had  promised  to  open  a 
road.  Still,  he  had  the  confidence  and  the  courage  to  ask 
for  another  fleet  with  which  he  might  return  to  exploit  the 
mines  of  Hayna  in  Cuba,  which  he  assured  the  sovereigns 
were  no  other  than  the  Ophir  referred  to  in  Scripture.  He 
also  wished  to  explore  the  mainland.  Ferdinand  Columbus 
says  that  uthe  fitting  out  of  this  fleet  was  delayed  much 
longer  than  was  necessary  through  the  negligence  and  bad 
management  of  the  king's  officers,  and  particularly  of  Don 
Juan  Rodriguez  de  Fonseca,  Archdeacon  of  Seville.  Hence 
it  happened  that  Don  Juan,  who  was  afterward  Bishop  of 
Burgos,  was,  from  thatr  time  onward,  a  bitter  enemy  to  the 


256  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Admiral  and  his  affairs,  and  was  the  chief  person  among 
those  who  brought  him  into  disgrace  with  their  Catholic 
Majesties."  But  the  king  had  also  begun  to  cool  in  his 
regard  for  Columbus  and  his  work,  though  probably  for  no 
other  reason  than  that,  so  far,  these  western  expeditions 
had  been  more  costly  than  profitable.  Columbus  himself 
suffered  so  greatly  from  this  result,  owing  to  the  eighth 
share  of  the  expense  which  he  was  bound  to  incur,  and 
which  his  discoveries  had  not  reimbursed  him,  that  he  was 
inextricably  in  debt.  But  Isabella  again  came  to  his  aid, 
and  through  her  interest  he  obtained  his  fleet;  and  on  the 
30th  of  May,  1498,  with  six  ships,  he  again  sailed  to  the 
west.  When  it  is  remembered  that  in  order  to  find  enough 
men  to  man  these  vessels  the  government  was  obliged  to 
resort  to  granting  pardon  to  criminals,  on  condition  that 
they  embarked,  it  is  very  manifest  how  these  transatlantic 
enterprises  had  fallen  in  the  popular  estimation ;  and  this  fact 
equally  explains  the  treatment  which  the  natives  received 
from  the  adventurers. 

The  first  land  which  Columbus  saw  on  this  voyage 
was  the  island  which  he  named  Trinidad,  for  "  God  had 
graciously  granted  him  the  sight  of  three  mountains  close 
together."  This  was  on  July  31,  1498.  Coasting  around 
this  island,  he  saw  land  to  the  southward,  which  was  in 
fact  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco;  and  thus,  though  uncon 
sciously,  Columbus  for  the  first  time  beheld  the  continent 
which  was  to  be  called  America.  Passing  between  Trini 
dad  and  Venezuela,  which  he  then  named  Gracia,  he  was 
surprised  by  the  flood  of  fresh  water  which  the  Orinoco 
pours  into  the  Gulf  of  Paria;  and  in  accordance  with  his 
cherished  theory  that  the  seat  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  was 
in  that  neighborhood,  he  conceived  the  possibility  of  this 
being  one  of  the  four  great  rivers  which  in  Scripture  are 
said  to  flow  from  it.  A  real  discovery  of  more  practical 
value  than  this  supposititious  one  was  the  abundance  of 
pearls  worn  by  the  natives  of  Trinidad  and  the  country 
bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Paria. 


THE  OTHER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  2$J 

Columbus  reached  Isabella  during  the  latter  part  of  Au 
gust,  and  found  the  whole  island  in  a  tumult  of  dissension 
and  insurrection.  Where  previously  there  had  been  but 
factions,  there  were  now  antagonistic  encampments.  He 
set  himself  to  restore  order.  Some  of  the  unruly  Spaniards 
he  sent  home,  and  of  a  few  he  made  a  salutary  and  well- 
deserved  example  by  hanging  them.  The  men  who  returned 
to  Spain  carried  with  them  such  reports  of  his  rule  as  suited 
their  interests  or  their  malice.  The  admiral's  own  letters 
gave  plain  evidence  of  the  demoralized  condition  of  the 
island.  The  opportunity  was  thus  afforded  the  king,  who 
had  always  regarded  Columbus  with  jealousy,  to  curtail  the 
admiral's  privileges.  Accordingly  he  sent  out  Bobadilla  as 
a  commissioner  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of  the  disputes 
which  were  vitiating  the  admiral's  government.  The  letter 
of  authority  given  Bobadilla  read  as  follows:  "We  order 
you  ...  to  ascertain  who  and  what  persons  they 
were  who  rose  against  the  said  admiral  and  our  magistracy, 
and  for  what  cause;  and  what  robberies  and  other  injuries 
they  have  committed;  and  furthermore,  to  extend  your 
inquiries  to  all  other  matters  relating  to  the  premises;  and 
the  information  obtained,  and  the  truth  known,  whomso 
ever  you  find  culpable,  arrest  their  persons,  and  sequestrate 
their  effects."  These  directions  were  impossible  of  appli 
cation  to  Columbus  under  any  circumstances;  but  Boba 
dilla  was  a  friend  of  Fonseca,  and  from  the  beginning  was 
prejudiced  against  the  admiral.  He  may  have  acted  con 
scientiously,  being  convinced  by  ex  parte  evidence  that 
Columbus  and  his  brothers  had  governed  in  a  cruel  manner. 
But  he  far  exceeded  his  authority  and  did  gross  injustice 
in  seizing  the  admiral's  effects  and  sending  that  famous 
man  back  to  Spain  in  chains.  Columbus  submitted  to  this 
wrong,  in  the  determination  that  he  would  seek  for  justice 
only  before  the  person  of  the  king.  Alonso  de  Villejo, 
who  had  command  of  the  ships  conveying  him,  would  have 
taken  off  the  chains,  but  Columbus  replied:  "No,  their 
majesties  commanded  me  by  letter  to  submit  to  whatever 


258  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Bobadilla  should  order  in  their  name;  by  their  authority  he 
has  put  upon  me  these  chains;  I  will  wear  them  until  they 
shall  order  them  to  be  taken  off,  and  I  will  preserve  them 
afterward  as  relics  and  memorials  of  the  reward  of  my 
services."  He  could  not  have  followed  a  course  more  ef 
fective  for  his  own  vindication.  When  he  thus  arrived  in 
Cadiz,  all  Spain  was  shocked;  and  the  sovereigns  lost  no 
time  in  doing  him  justice  and  spared  no  pains  in  doing  him 
honor. 

In  the  meantime,  other  commanders  were  making  im 
portant  discoveries  in  the  New  World,  especially  Hojeda, 
Vicente  Yanez  Pinzon,  and  Cabot;  but  we  will  leave  the 
consideration  of  these  to  another  chapter  and  hasten  to 
the  narrative  of  Columbus's  fourth  and  last  voyage.  Vasco 
da  Gama  had  at  last  doubled  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
really  made  his  way  to  India.  This  success  fired  Colum 
bus  with  new  ardor  to  prove  his  theory  that  the  same 
country  might  be  reached  by  the  transatlantic  voyage.  He 
believed  that  the  strong  currents  which  he  had  noticed  in  the 
Caribbean  Sea  were  sure  indications  of  an  opening  into 
the  Indian  Ocean;  his  fourth  voyage  was  projected  in  the 
hope  that  he  might  prove  this  contention.  On  the  Qth  of 
May,  1502,  he  sailed  from  Cadiz  with  four  small  caravels, 
taking  with  him  his  brother  Bartholomew  and  his  son  Fer 
dinand,  also  certain  persons  who  were  expected  to  act  as 
interpreters  when  he  came  into  the  domain  of  the  Khan. 
The  result  of  this  voyage  was  the  exploration  of  what  he 
calls  the  coast  of  Veragua,  in  reality  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
though  he  did  not  discover  that  so  narrow  a  neck  of  land 
lay  between  him  and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  which  still  inter 
vened  ere  the  Cathay  of  his  lifelong  quest  might  be  reached. 
On  the  contrary,  he  spoke  of  Veragua  as  "  the  province  of 
Mango,"  which,  as  he  read  in  his  favorite  authors,  "is  con 
tiguous  to  that  of  Cathay."  The  recollection  of  the  incal 
culable  value  of  the  services  of  the  author,  the  recital  of 
the  hardships  endured,  the  just  complaint  of  the  old  man 
heart-wearied  with  the  wrongs  done  him  by  those  who  had 


THE  Or  HER   VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


259 


profited  by  his  toils,  make  the  story  of  this  voyage,  addressed 
to  the  sovereigns  whom  he  had  so  faithfully  served,  one  of 
the  most  pathetic  documents  of  history;  it  can  only  be  fitly 
told  in  his  own  words. 


FOURTH  VOYAGE  OF  COLUMBUS 

Most  Serene,  and  very  High  and  Mighty  Princes,  the  King 

and  Queen  our  Sovereigns: 

My  passage  from  Cadiz  to  the  Canary  occupied  four  days, 
and  thence  to  the  Indies,  from  which  I  wrote,  sixteen 
days.  My  intention  was  to  expedite  my  voyage  as  much 
as  possible  while  I  had  good  vessels,  good  crews  and  stores, 
and  because  Jamaica  was  the  place  to  which  I  was  bound. 
I  wrote  this  in  Dominica. 

Up  to  the  period  of  my  reaching  these  shores  I  expe 
rienced  most  excellent  weather,  but  the  night  of  my  arrival 
came  in  with  a  dreadful  tempest,  and  the  same  bad  weather 
has  continued  ever  since.  On  reaching  the  island  of  Espa- 
nola  I  despatched  a  packet  of  letters,  by  which  I  begged  as 
a  favor  that  a  ship  should  be  supplied  me  at  my  own  cost 
in  lieu  of  one  of  those  that  I  had  brought  with  me,  and 
which  had  become  unseaworthy,  and  could  no  longer  carry 
sail.  The  letters  were  taken,  and  your  Highnesses  will 
know  if  a  reply  has  been  given  to  them.  For  my  part,  I 
was  forbidden  to  go  on  shore ;  the  hearts  of  my  people  failed 
them  lest  I  should  take  them  further,  and  they  said  that  if 
any  danger  were  to  befall  them,  they  should  receive  no 
succor,  but,  on  the  contrary,  in  all  probability,  have  some 
great  affront  offered  them.  Moreover,  every  man  had  it  in 
his  power  to  tell  me  that  the  new  Governor  would  have  the 
superintendence  of  the  countries  that  I  might  acquire. 

The  tempest  was  terrible  throughout  the  night ;  all  the 
ships  were  separated,  and  each  one  driven  to  the  last  ex 
tremity,  without  hope  of  anything  but  death;  each  of  them 
also  looked  upon  the  loss  of  the  rest  as  a  matter  of  cer 
tainty.  What  man  was  ever  born,  not  even  excepting  Job, 


26o  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

who  would  not  have  been  ready  to  die  of  despair  at  finding 
himself  as  I  then  was,  in  anxious  fear  for  my  own  safety, 
and  that  of  my  son,  my  brother,  and  my  friends,  and  yet  re 
fused  permission  either  to  land  or  to  put  into  harbor  on  the 
shores  which  by  God's  mercy  I  had  gained  for  Spain  with  so 
much  toil  and  danger? 

But  to  return  to  the  ships;  although  the  tempest  had  so 
completely  separated  them  from  me  as  to  leave  me  single, 
yet  the  Lord  restored  them  to  me  in  His  own  good  time. 
The  ship  which  we  had  the  greatest  fear  for  had  put  out  to 
sea  for  safety,  and  reached  the  island  of  Gallega,  having  lost 
her  boat  and  a  great  part  of  her  provisions,  which  latter  loss 
indeed  all  the  ships  suffered.  The  vessel  in  which  I  was, 
though  dreadfully  buffeted,  was  saved  by  our  Lord's  mercy 
from  any  injury  whatever;  my  brother  went  into  the  ship 
that  was  unsound,  and  he  under  God  was  the  cause  of  its 
being  saved.  With  this  tempest  I  struggled  on  till  I  reached 
Jamaica,  and  there  the  sea  became  calm,  but  there  was 
a  strong  current  which  carried  me  as  far  as  the  Queen's 
Garden  without  seeing  land.  Hence  as  opportunity  afforded 
I  pushed  on  for  terra  firma,  in  spite  of  the  wind  and  a  fear 
ful  contrary  current,  against  which  I  contended  for  sixty 
days,  and  after  all  only  made  seventy  leagues.  All  this  time 
I  was  unable  to  get  into  harbor,  nor  was  there  any  cessation 
of  the  tempest,  which  was  one  continuation  of  rain,  thunder, 
and  lightning;  indeed,  it  seemed  as  if  it  were  the  end  of 
the  world.  I  at  length  reached  Cabo  de  Gracias  a  Dios, 
and  after  that  the  Lord  granted  me  fair  wind  and  tide;  this 
was  on  the  twelfth  of  September.  Eighty-eight  days  did 
this  fearful  tempest  continue,  during  which  I  was  at  sea, 
and  saw  neither  sun  nor  stars;  my  ships  lay  exposed,  with 
sails  torn,  and  anchors,  rigging,  cables,  boats,  and  a  great 
quantity  of  provisions  lost;  my  people  were  very  weak  and 
humbled  in  spirit,  many  of  them  promising  to  lead  a  re 
ligious  life,  and  all  making  vows  and  promising  to  perform 
pilgrimages,  while  some  of  them  would  frequently  go  to 
their  messmates  to  make  confession.  Other  tempests  have 


THE  Or  HER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  26l 

been  experienced,  but  never  of  so  long  a  duration  or  so 
fearful  as  this ;  many  whom  we  looked  upon  as  brave  men, 
on  several  occasions  showed  considerable  trepidation ;  but 
the  distress  of  my  son  who  was  with  me  grieved  me  to  the 
soul,  and  the  more  when  I  considered  his  tender  age,  for  he 
was  but  thirteen  years  old,  and  he  enduring  so  much  toil 
for  so  long  a  time.  Our  Lord,  however,  gave  him  strength 
even  to  enable  him  to  encourage  the  rest,  and  he  worked 
as  if  he  had  been  eighty  years  at  sea,  and  all  this  was  a 
consolation  to  me.  I  myself  had  fallen  sick,  and  was  many 
times  at  the  point  of  death,  but  from  a  little  cabin  that  I  had 
caused  to  be  constructed  on  deck  I  directed  our  course.  My 
brother  was  in  the  ship  that  was  in  the  worst  condition  and 
the  most  exposed  to  danger;  and  my  grief  on  this  account 
was  the  greater  that  I  brought  him  with  me  against  his  will. 
Such  is  my  fate,  that  the  twenty  years  of  service  through 
which  I  have  passed  with  so  much  toil  and  danger  have 
profited  me  nothing,  and  at  this  very  day  I  do  not  possess 
a  roof  in  Spain  that  I  can  call  my  own;  if  I  wish  to  eat 
or  sleep,  I  have  nowhere  to  go  but  to  the  inn  or  tavern, 
and  most  times  lack  wherewith  to  pay  the  bill.  Another 
anxiety  wrung  my  very  heart-strings,  which  was  the  thought 
of  my  son  Diego,  whom  I  had  left  an  orphan  in  Spain,  and 
stripped  of  the  honor  and  property  which  were  due  to  him 
on  my  account,  although  I  had  looked  upon  it  as  a  cer 
tainty  that  your  Majesties,  as  just  and  grateful  Princes, 
would  restore  it  to  him  in  all  respects  with  increase.  I  had 
reached  the  land  of  Cariay,  where  I  stopped  to  repair  my 
vessels  and  take  in  provisions,  as  well  as  to  afford  relaxation 
to  the  men,  who  had  become  very  weak.  I  myself,  who, 
as  I  said  before,  had  been  several  times  at  the  point  of 
death,  gained  information  respecting  the  gold  mines  of  which 
I  was  in  search,  in  the  province  of  Ciamba;  and  two  In 
dians  conducted  me  to  Carambaru,  where  the  people,  who 
go  naked,  wear  golden  mirrors  round  their  necks,  which 
they  will  neither  sell,  give,  nor  part  with  for  any  considera 
tion.  They  named  to  me  many  places  on  the  seacoast 


262  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

where  there  were  both  gold  and  mines.  The  last  that 
they  mentioned  was  Veragua,  which  was  about  twenty-five 
leagues  distant  from  the  place  where  we  then  were.  I 
started  with  the  intention  of  visiting  all  of  them,  but  when 
I  had  reached  the  middle  of  my  journey  I  learned  that  there 
were  other  mines  at  so  short  a  distance  that  they  might  be 
reached  in  two  days.  I  determined  on  sending  to  see  them. 
It  was  on  the  eve  of  St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude,  which  was 
the  day  fixed  for  our  departure;  but  that  night  there  arose 
so  violent  a  storm  that  we  were  forced  to  go  wherever  it 
drove  us,  and  the  Indian  who  was  to  conduct  us  to  the 
mines  was  with  us  all  the  time.  As  I  had  found  every 
thing  true  that  had  been  told  me  in  the  different  places 
which  I  had  visited,  I  felt  satisfied  it  would  be  the  same 
with  respect  to  Ciguare,  which,  according  to  their  account, 
is  nine  days'  journey  across  the  country  westward ;  they 
tell  me  there  is  a  great  quantity  of  gold  there,  and  that  the 
inhabitants  wear  coral  ornaments  on  their  heads,  and  very 
large  coral  bracelets  and  anklets,  with  which  article  also 
they  adorn  and  inlay  their  seats,  boxes,  and  tables.  They 
also  said  that  the  women  there  wore  necklaces  hanging 
down  to  their  shoulders.  All  the  people  agree  in  the  report 
I  now  repeat,  and  their  account  is  so  favorable  that  I  should 
be  content  with  the  tithe  of  the  advantages  that  their  de 
scription  holds  out.  They  are  all  likewise  acquainted  with 
the  pepper  plant.  According  to  the  account  of  these 
people,  the  inhabitants  of  Ciguare  are  accustomed  to  hold 
fairs  and  markets  for  carrying  on  their  commerce,  and  they 
showed  me  also  the  mode  and  form  in  which  they  transact 
their  various  exchanges.  Others  assert  that  their  ships 
carry  guns,  and  that  the  men  go  clothed  and  use  bows  and 
arrows,  swords,  and  cuirasses,  and  that  on  shore  they  have 
horses  which  they  use  in  battle,  and  that  they  wear  rich 
clothes  and  have  most  excellent  houses.  They  also  say 
that  the  sea  surrounds  Ciguare,  and  that  at  ten  days'  jour 
ney  from  thence  is  the  river  Ganges.  These  lands  appear 
to  have  the  same  bearings  with  respect  to  Veragua  as 


THE  OTHER  DOTAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  263 

Tortosa  has  to  Fontarabia,  or  Pisa  to  Venice.  When  I 
left  Carambaru  and  reached  the  places  in  its  neighborhood, 
which  I  have  above  mentioned  as  being  spoken  of  by  the 
Indians,  I  found  the  customs  of  the  people  correspond 
with  the  accounts  that  had  been  given  of  them,  except  as 
regarded  the  golden  mirrors :  any  man  who  had  one  of 
them  would  willingly  part  with  it  for  three  hawks'  bells, 
although  they  were  equivalent  in  weight  to  ten  or  fifteen 
ducats.  These  people  resemble  the  natives  of  Espanola  in 
all  their  habits.  They  have  various  modes  of  collecting 
the  gold,  none  of  which  will  bear  comparison  with  the 
plans  adopted  by  the  Christians. 

All  that  I  have  here  stated  is  from  hearsay.  This,  how 
ever,  I  know,  that  in  the  year  ninety-four  I  sailed  twenty- 
four  degrees  to  the  westward  in  nine  hours,  and  there  can  be 
no  mistake  upon  the  subject,  because  there  was  an  eclipse; 
the  sun  was  in  Libra  and  the  moon  in  Aries.  What  I  had 
learned  by  the  mouth  of  these  people  I  already  knew  in 
detail  from  books.  Ptolemy  thought  that  he  had  satisfac 
torily  corrected  Marinus,  and  yet  this  latter  appears  to  have 
come  very  near  to  the  truth.  Ptolemy  places  Catigara  at  a 
distance  of  twelve  lines  to  the  west  of  his  meridian,  which 
he  fixes  at  two  degrees  and  a  third  above  Cape  St.  Vin 
cent,  in  Portugal.  Marinus  comprises  the  earth  and  its 
limits  in  fifteen  lines,  and  the  same  author  describes  the 
Indus  in  Ethiopia  as  being  more  than  twenty-four  degrees 
from  the  equinoctial  line,  and  now  that  the  Portuguese 
have  sailed  there  they  find  it  correct.  Ptolemy  says  also 
that  the  most  southern  land  is  the  first  boundary,  and  that 
it  does  not  go  lower  down  than  fifteen  degrees  and  a  third. 
The  world  is  but  small;  out  of  seven  divisions  of  it  the 
dry  part  occupies  six,  and  the  seventh  only  is  covered  by 
water.  Experience  has  shown  it,  and  I  have  written  it 
with  quotations  from  the  Holy  Scripture,  in  other  letters, 
where  I  have  treated  of  the  situation  of  the  terrestrial  para 
dise,  as  approved  by  Holy  Church ;  and  I  say  that  the  world 
is  not  so  large  as  vulgar  opinion  makes  it,  and  that  one 


264  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

degree  from  the  equinoctial  line  measures  fifty-six  miles 
and  two-thirds;  and  this  may  be  proved  to  a  nicety.  But 
I  leave  this  subject,  which  it  is  not  my  intention  now  to 
treat  upon,  but  simply  to  give  a  narrative  of  my  laborious 
and  painful  voyage,  although  of  all  my  voyages  it  is  the 
most  honorable  and  advantageous.  I  have  said  that  on 
the  eve  of  St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude  I  ran  before  the  wind 
wherever  it  took  me,  without  power  to  resist  it ;  at  length 
I  found  shelter  for  ten  days  from  the  roughness  of  the  sea 
and  the  tempest  overhead,  and  resolved  not  to  attempt  to 
go  back  to  the  mines,  which  I  regarded  as  already  in  our 
possession.  When  I  started  in  pursuance  of  my  voyage  it 
was  under  a  heavy  rain,  and  reaching  the  harbor  of  Basti- 
mentos  I  put  in,  though  much  against  my  will.  The  storm 
and  a  rapid  current  kept  me  in  for  fourteen  days,  when  I 
again  set  sail,  but  not  with  favorable  weather.  After  I  had 
made  fifteen  leagues  with  great  exertions,  the  wind  and  the 
current  drove  me  back  again  with  great  fury,  but  in  again 
making  for  the  port  which  I  had  quitted,  I  found  on  the 
way  another  port,  which  I  named  Retrete,  where  I  put  in 
for  shelter  with  as  much  risk  as  regret,  the  ships  being 
in  sad  condition,  and  my  crews  and  myself  exceedingly 
fatigued.  I  remained  there  fifteen  days,  kept  in  by  stress 
of  weather,  and  when  I  fancied  my  troubles  were  at  an 
end,  I  found  them  only  begun.  It  was  then  that  I  changed 
my  resolution  with  respect  to  proceeding  to  the  mines,  and 
proposed  doing  something  in  the  interim,  until  the  weather 
should  prove  more  favorable  for  my  voyage.  I  had  already 
made  four  leagues  when  the  storm  recommenced,  and 
wearied  me  to  such  a  degree  that  I  absolutely  knew  not 
what  to  do;  my  wound  reopened,  and  for  nine  days  my 
life  was  despaired  of.  Never  was  the  sea  seen  so  high,  so 
terrific,  and  so  covered  with  foam;  not  only  did  the  wind 
oppose  our  proceeding  onward,  but  it  also  rendered  it  highly 
dangerous  to  run  in  for  any  headland,  and  kept  me  in  that 
sea  which  seemed  to  me  as  a  sea  of  blood,  seething  like  a 
cauldron  on  a  mighty  fire.  Never  did  the  sky  look  more 


THE  Or  HER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  265 

fearful;  during  one  day  and  one  night  it  burned  like  a  fur 
nace,  and  emitted  flashes  in  such  fashion  that  each  time  I 
looked  to  see  if  my  masts  and  my  sails  were  not  destroyed ; 
these  flashes  came  with  such  alarming  fury  that  we  all 
thought  the  ship  must  have  been  consumed.  All  this  time 
the  waters  from  heaven  never  ceased,  not  to  say  that  it 
rained,  for  it  was  like  a  repetition  of  the  Deluge.  The  men 
were  at  this  time  so  crushed  in  spirit,  that  they  longed  for 
death  as  a  deliverance  from  so  many  martyrdoms.  Twice 
already  had  the  ships  suffered  loss  in  boats,  anchors,  and 
rigging,  and  were  now  lying  bare  without  sails. 

When  it  pleased  our  Lord,  I  returned  to  Puerto  Gordo, 
where  I  recruited  my  condition  as  well  as  I  could.  I  then 
once  more  attempted  the  voyage  towards  Veragua,  although 
I  was  by  no  means  in  a  fit  state  to  undertake  it.  The  wind 
and  currents  were  still  contrary.  I  arrived  at  nearly  the 
same  spot  as  before,  and  there  again  the  wind  and  currents 
still  opposed  my  progress;  once  more  I  was  compelled  to 
put  into  harbor,  not  daring  to  encounter  the  opposition  of 
Saturn  with  such  a  boisterous  sea,  and  on  so  formidable  a 
coast;  for  it  almost  always  brings  on  a  tempest  or  severe 
weather.  This  was  on  Christmas  Day,  about  the  hour  of 
mass.  Thus,  after  all  these  fatigues,  I  had  once  more  to 
return  to  the  spot  whence  I  started;  and  when  the  new 
year  had  set  in,  I  returned  again  to  my  task;  but  although 
I  had  fine  weather  for  my  voyage,  the  ships  were  no  longer 
in  a  sailing  condition,  and  my  people  were  either  dying  or 
very  sick.  On  the  day  of  the  Epiphany,  I  reached  Veragua 
in  a  state  of  exhaustion;  there,  by  our  Lord's  goodness,  I 
found  a  river  and  a  safe  harbor,  although  at  the  entrance 
there  were  only  ten  spans  of  water.  I  succeeded  in  making 
an  entry,  but  with  great  difficulty;  and  on  the  following 
day  the  storm  recommenced,  and  had  I  been  still  on  the 
outside  at  that  time,  I  should  have  been  unable  to  enter 
on  account  of  the  bar.  It  rained  without  ceasing  until 
the  fourteenth  of  February,  so  that  I  could  find  no  oppor 
tunity  of  penetrating  into  the  interior,  nor  of  recruiting 


266  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

my  condition  in  any  respect  whatever;  and  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  January,  when  I  considered  myself  in  perfect 
safety,  the  river  suddenly  rose  with  great  violence  to  a 
considerable  height,  breaking  my  cables  and  the  supports  to 
which  they  were  fastened,  and  nearly  carrying  away  my 
ships  altogether,  which  certainly  appeared  to  me  to  be  in 
greater  danger  than  ever.  Our  Lord,  however,  brought  a 
remedy  as  He  has  always  done.  I  do  not  know  if  anyone 
else  ever  suffered  greater  trials. 

On  the  sixth  of  February,  while  it  was  still  raining,  I 
sent  seventy  men  on  shore  to  go  into  the  interior,  and  at 
five  leagues'  distance  they  found  several  mines.  The  In 
dians  who  went  with  them  conducted  them  to  a  very  lofty 
mountain,  and  thence  showing  them  the  country  all  round, 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  told  them  there  was  gold  in 
every  part,  and  that,  towards  the  west,  the  mines  extended 
twenty  days'  journey ;  they  also  recounted  the  names  of  the 
towns  and  villages  where  there  was  more  or  less  of  it.  I 
afterwards  learned  that  the  cacique  Quibian,  who  had  lent 
these  Indians,  had  ordered  them  to  show  the  distant  mines, 
which  belonged  to  an  enemy  of  his;  but  that  in  his  own 
territory,  one  man  might,  if  he  would,  collect  in  ten  days 
as  much  as  a  child  could  carry.  I  bring  with  me  some 
Indians,  his  servants,  who  can  bear  witness  to  this  fact. 
The  boats  went  up  to  the  spot  where  the  dwellings  of 
these  people  are  situated ;  and,  after  four  hours,  my  brother 
returned  with  the  guides,  all  of  them  bringing  back  gold 
which  they  had  collected  at  that  place.  The  gold  must 
therefore  be  abundant,  and  of  good  quality,  for  none  of 
these  men  had  ever  seen  mines  before ;  very  many  of  them 
had  never  seen  pure  gold,  and  most  of  them  were  seamen 
and  lads.  Having  building  materials  in  abundance,  I  estab 
lished  a  settlement,  and  made  many  presents  to  Quibian, 
which  is  the  name  they  gave  to  the  lord  of  the  country. 
I  plainly  saw  that  harmony  would  not  last  long,  for  the 
natives  are  of  a  very  rough  disposition,  and  the  Spaniards 
very  encroaching;  and,  moreover,  I  had  taken  possession 


or  HER  7  OT AGES  OF  COLUMBUS  267 

of  land  belonging  to  Quibian.  When  he  saw  what  we 
did,  and  found  the  traffic  increasing,  he  resolved  upon 
burning  the  houses,  and  putting  us  all  to  death ;  but  his 
project  did  not  succeed,  for  we  took  him  prisoner,  to 
gether  with  his  wives,  his  children,  and  his  servants.  His 
captivity,  it  is  true,  lasted  but  a  short  time,  for  he  eluded 
the  custody  of  a  trustworthy  man,  into  whose  charge  he 
had  been  given,  with  a  guard  of  men;  and  his  sons  escaped 
from  a  ship,  in  which  they  had  been  placed  under  the 
special  charge  of  the  master. 

In  the  month  of  January,  the  mouth  of  the  river  was 
entirely  closed  up;  and  in  April  the  vessels  were  so  eaten 
with  the  teredo  that  they  could  scarcely  be  kept  above 
water.  At  this  time  the  river  forced  a  channel  for  itself, 
by  which  I  managed,  with  great  difficulty,  to  extricate  three 
of  them  after  I  had  unloaded  them.  The  boats  were  then 
sent  back  into  the  river  for  water  and  salt,  but  the  sea 
became  so  high  and  furious  that  it  afforded  them  no  chance 
of  exit;  upon  which  the  Indians  collected  themselves 
together  in  great  numbers,  and  made  an  attack  upon  the 
boats,  and  at  length  massacred  the  men.  My  brother,  and 
all  the  rest  of  our  people,  were  in  a  ship  which  remained 
inside;  I  was  alone,  outside,  upon  that  dangerous  coast, 
suffering  from  a  severe  fever  and  worn  with  fatigue.  All 
hope  of  escape  was  gone.  I  toiled  up  to  the  highest  part 
of  the  ship,  and,  with  a  quivering  voice  and  fast-falling 
tears,  I  called  upon  your  Highnesses'  war  captains  from  each 
point  of  the  compass  to  come  to  my  succor,  but  there  was 
no  reply.  At  length,  groaning  with  exhaustion,  I  fell  asleep, 
and  heard  a  compassionate  voice  address  me  thus  :  "  O  fool, 
and  slow  to  believe  and  to  serve  thy  God,  the  God  of  all ! 
what  did  He  do  more  for  Moses,  or  for  David  His  servant, 
than  He  has  done  for  thee?  From  thine  infancy  He  has 
kept  thee  under  His  constant  and  watchful  care.  When 
He  saw  thee  arrived  at  an  age  which  suited  His  designs 
respecting  thee,  He  brought  wonderful  renown  to  thy  name 
throughout  all  the  land.  He  gave  thee  for  thine  own  the 


268  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

Indies,  which  form  so  rich  a  portion  of  the  world,  and  thou 
hast  divided  them  as  it  pleased  thee,  for  He  gave  thee 
power  to  do  so.  He  gave  thee  also  the  keys  of  those  bar 
riers  of  the  ocean  sea  which  were  closed  with  such  mighty 
chains ;  and  thou  wast  obeyed  through  many  lands,  and  hast 
gained  an  honorable  fame  throughout  Christendom.  What 
did  the  Most  High  do  for  the  people  of  Israel,  when  He 
brought  them  out  of  Egypt  ?  or  for  David,  whom  from  a 
shepherd  He  made  to  be  king  in  Judaea?  Turn  to  Him, 
and  acknowledge  thine  error — His  mercy  is  infinite.  Thine 
old  age  shall  not  prevent  thee  from  accomplishing  any  great 
undertaking.  He  holds  under  His  sway  the  greatest  pos 
sessions.  Abraham  had  exceeded  a  hundred  years  of  age 
when  he  begat  Isaac;  nor  was  Sarah  young.  Thou  criest 
out  for  uncertain  help :  answer,  who  has  afflicted  thee  so 
much  and  so  often,  God,  or  the  world  ?  .  .  .  Even  now 
He  partially  shows  thee  the  reward  of  so  many  toils  and 
dangers  incurred  by  thee  in  the  service  of  others.  .  .  ." 

I  departed,  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  on  Easter 
night,  with  the  ships  rotten,  worm-eaten,  and  full  of  holes. 
One  of  them  I  left  at  Belem,  with  a  supply  of  necessaries ; 
I  did  the  same  at  Belpuerto.  I  then  had  only  two  left,  and 
they  in  the  same  state  as  the  others.  I  was  without  boats 
or  provisions,  and  in  this  condition  I  had  to  cross  seven 
thousand  miles  of  sea;  or,  as  an  alternative,  to  die  on  the 
passage  with  my  son,  my  brother,  and  so  many  of  my 
people.  Let  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  finding  fault  and 
censuring,  ask,  while  they  sit  in  security  at  home:  "Why 
did  you  not  do  so  and  so  under  such  circumstances?"  I 
wish  they  now  had  this  voyage  to  make.  I  verily  believe 
that  another  journey  of  another  kind  awaits  them,  if  there 
is  any  reliance  to  be  placed  upon  our  holy  faith. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  May  I  reached  the  province  of 
Mango,  which  is  contiguous  to  that  of  Cathay,  and  thence  I 
started  for  the  island  of  Espanola.  I  sailed  two  days  with  a 
good  wind,  after  which  it  became  contrary.  The  route  that 
I  followed  called  forth  all  my  care  to  avoid  the  numerous 


THE  Or  HER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS  269 

islands,  that  I  might  not  be  stranded  on  the  shoals  that  lie 
in  their  neighborhood.  .  .  .  After  eight  days  I  put  to 
sea  again,  and  reached  Jamaica  by  the  end  of  June;  but 
always  beating  against  contrary  winds,  and  with  the  ships  in 
the  worst  possible  condition.  With  three  pumps,  and  the 
use  of  pots  and  kettles,  we  could  scarcely  with  all  hands  clear 
the  water  that  came  into  the  ship,  there  being  no  remedy 
but  this  for  the  mischief  done  by  the  ship-worm.  .  .  . 

This  is  the  account  I  have  to  give  of  my  voyage.  The 
men  who  accompanied  me  were  a  hundred  and  fifty  in 
number,  among  whom  were  many  calculated  for  pilots  and 
good  sailors,  but  none  of  them  can  explain  whither  I  went 
nor  whence  I  came.  The  reason  is  very  simple.  I  started 
from  a  point  above  the  port  of  Brazil;  and  while  I  was  in 
Espanola,  the  storm  prevented  me  from  following  my  in 
tended  route,  for  I  was  obliged  to  go  wherever  the  wind 
drove  me;  at  the  same  time  I  fell  very  sick,  and  there  was 
no  one  who  had  navigated  in  these  parts  before.  However, 
after  some  days,  the  wind  and  sea  became  tranquil,  and  the 
storm  was  succeeded  by  a  calm,  but  accompanied  with  rapid 
currents.  I  put  into  harbor  at  an  island  called  Isla  de  las 
Bocas,  and  then  steered  for  terra  firma-,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  give  a  correct  account  of  all  our  movements,  because  I 
was  carried  away  by  the  current  so  many  days  without 
seeing  land.  I  ascertained,  however,  by  the  compass  and 
by  observation,  that  I  moved  parallel  with  the  coast  of  terra 
firma.  No  one  could  tell  under  what  part  of  the  heavens 
we  were,  nor  at  what  period  I  bent  my  course  for  the  island 
of  Espanola.  The  pilots  thought  we  had  come  to  the 
island  of  St.  John,  whereas  it  was  the  land  of  Mango,  four 
hundred  leagues  to  the  westward  of  where  they  said.  Let 
them  answer  and  say  if  they  know  where  Veragua  is  situ 
ated.  I  assert  that  they  can  give  no  other  account  than 
that  they  went  to  lands  where  there  was  an  abundance  of 
gold,  and  this  they  can  certify  surely  enough ;  but  they  do 
not  know  the  way  to  return  thither  for  such  a  purpose; 
they  would  be  obliged  to  go  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  as 


2 ;o  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORAriON 

much  as  if  they  had  never  been  there  before.  .  .  .  The 
nation  of  which  Pope  Pius  writes  has  now  been  found, 
judging  at  least  by  the  situation  and  other  evidences,  ex 
cepting  the  horses  with  the  saddles  and  poitrels  and  bridles 
of  gold;  but  this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  the  lands  on 
the  seacoast  are  only  inhabited  by  fishermen,  and  moreover 
I  made  no  stay  there,  because  I  was  in  haste  to  proceed  on 
my  voyage. 

They  say  that  there  are  great  mines  of  copper  in  the 
country,  of  which  they  make  hatchets  and  other  elaborate 
articles,  both  cast  and  soldered ;  they  also  make  of  it  forges, 
with  all  the  apparatus  of  the  goldsmith,  and  crucibles.  The 
inhabitants  go  clothed;  and  in  that  province  I  saw  some 
large  sheets  of  cotton  very  elaborately  and  cleverly  worked, 
and  others  very  delicately  pencilled  in  colors.  They  told 
me  that  more  inland  toward  Cathay  they  have  them  inter 
woven  with  gold.  .  .  .  When  I  discovered  the  Indies,  I 
said  that  they  composed  the  richest  lordship  in  the  world; 
I  spoke  of  gold  and  pearls  and  precious  stones,  of  spices, 
and  the  traffic  that  might  be  carried  on  in  them;  and  be 
cause  all  these  things  were  not  forthcoming  at  once  I  was 
abused.  This  punishment  causes  me  to  refrain  from  re 
lating  anything  but  what  the  natives  tell  me.  One  thing  I 
can  venture  upon  stating,  because  there  are  so  many  wit 
nesses  of  it,  viz.,  that  in  this  land  of  Veragua  I  saw  more 
signs  of  gold  in  the  first  two  days  than  I  saw  in  Espaiiola 
during  four  years,  and  that  there  is  not  a  more  fertile  or 
better  cultivated  country  in  all  the  world,  nor  one  whose 
inhabitants  are  more  timid;  .  .  .  moreover,  the  road 
hither  will  be  as  short  as  that  to  Espaiiola,  because  there 
is  a  certainty  of  a  fair  wind  for  the  passage.  Your  High 
nesses  are  as  much  lords  of  this  country  as  of  Xeres  or 
Toledo,  and  your  ships  that  may  come  here  will  do  so  with 
the  same  freedom  as  if  they  were  going  to  your  own  royal 
palace.  From  hence  they  will  obtain  gold,  and  whereas  if 
they  should  wish  to  become  masters  of  the  products  of 
other  lands,  they  will  have  to  take  them  by  force,  or  retire 


Or  HER  VOYAGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


271 


empty-handed,  in  this  country  they  will  simply  have  to  trust 
their  persons  in  the  hands  of  a  savage. 

There  were  brought  to  Solomon  at  one  journey  six 
hundred  and  sixty-six  quintals  of  gold,  besides  what  the 
merchants  and  sailors  brought,  and  that  which  was  paid  in 
Arabia.  .  .  .  Josephus  thinks  that  this  gold  was  found 
in  the  Aurea;  if  it  were  so,  I  contend  that  these  mines  of 
the  Aurea  are  identical  with  those  of  Veragua,  which,  as  I 
have  said  before,  extends  westward  twenty  days'  journey, 
at  an  equal  distance  from  the  Pole  and  the  Line. 
With  respect  to  the  gold  which  belongs  to  Quibian,  the 
cacique  of  Veragua,  and  other  chiefs  in  the  neighboring 
country,  although  it  appears  by  the  accounts  we  have  re 
ceived  of  it  to  be  very  abundant,  I  do  not  think  it  would 
be  well  or  desirable,  on  the  part  of  your  Highnesses,  to 
take  possession  of  it  in  the  way  of  plunder;  by  fair  dealing, 
scandal  and  disrepute  will  be  avoided,  and  all  the  gold  will 
thus  reach  your  Highnesses'  treasury  without  the  loss  of  a 
grain.  .  .  . 

I  never  think  of  Espanola,  and  Paria,  and  the  other 
countries,  without  shedding  tears.  ...  It  used  to  be 
the  custom  to  give  thanks  and  promotion  to  him  who  placed 
his  person  in  jeopardy;  but  there  is  no  justice  in  allowing 
the  man  who  opposed  this  undertaking  to  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  it  with  his  children.  Those  who  left  the  Indies,  avoid 
ing  the  toils  consequent  upon  the  enterprise,  and  speaking 
evil  of  it  and  me,  have  since  returned  with  official  appoint 
ments, — such  is  the  case  now  in  Veragua:  it  is  an  evil 
example,  and  profitless  both  as  regards  the  business  in 
which  we  are  embarked,  and  as  respects  the  general  main 
tenance  of  justice.  The  fear  of  this,  with  other  sufficient 
considerations,  which  I  clearly  foresaw,  caused  me  to  beg 
your  Highnesses,  previously  to  my  coming  to  discover  these 
islands  and  terra  fir  ma,  to  grant  me  permission  to  govern  it 
in  your  royal  name.  Your  Highnesses  granted  my  request ; 
and  it  was  a  privilege  and  treaty  granted  under  the  royal 
seal  and  oath,  by  which  I  was  nominated  viceroy,  and 


272  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

admiral,  and  governor-general  of  all :  and  your  Highnesses 
limited  the  extent  of  my  government  to  a  hundred  leagues 
beyond  the  Azores  and  Cape  Verd  Islands,  by  a  line  pass 
ing  from  one  pole  to  the  other,  and  gave  me  ample  power 
over  all  that  I  might  discover  beyond  this  line ;  all  of  which 
is  more  fully  described  in  the  official  document. 

For  seven  years  was  I  at  your  royal  court,  where  every 
one  to  whom  the  enterprise  was  mentioned  treated  it  as 
ridiculous;  but  now  there  is  not  a  man,  down  to  the  very 
tailors,  who  does  not  beg  to  be  allowed  to  become  a  dis 
coverer.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  they  make  the 
voyage  only  for  plunder,  and  that  they  are  permitted  to  do 
so,  to  the  great  disparagement  of  my  honor  and  the  detri 
ment  of  the  undertaking  itself.  .  .  .  The  restitution 
of  my  honor,  the  reparation  of  my  losses,  and  the  punish 
ment  of  those  who  have  inflicted  them,  will  redound  to  the 
honor  of  your  royal  character;  a  similar  punishment  also 
is  due  to  those  who  plundered  me  of  my  pearls,  and  who 
have  brought  a  disparagement  upon  the  privileges  of  my 
admiralty.  Great  and  unexampled  will  be  the  glory  and 
fame  of  your  Highnesses,  if  you  do  this,  and  the  memory 
of  your  Highnesses,  as  just  and  grateful  sovereigns,  will 
survive  as  a  bright  example  to  Spain  in  future  ages.  The 
honest  devotedness  I  have  always  shown  to  your  Majesties* 
service,  and  the  so  unmerited  outrage  with  which  it  has 
been  repaid,  will  not  allow  my  soul  to  keep  silence,  how 
ever  much  I  may  wish  it:  I  implore  your  Highnesses  to 
forgive  my  complaints.  I  am  indeed  in  as  ruined  a  condi 
tion  as  I  have  related;  hitherto  I  have  wept  over  others; — 
may  Heaven  now  have  mercy  upon  me,  and  may  the  earth 
weep  for  me !  With  regard  to  temporal  things,  I  have 
not  even  a  blanca  for  an  offering;  and  in  spiritual  things, 
I  have  ceased  here  in  the  Indies  from  observing  the  pre 
scribed  forms  of  religion.  Solitary  in  my  trouble,  sick  and 
in  daily  expectation  of  death,  surrounded  by  millions  of 
hostile  savages  full  of  cruelty,  and  thus  separated  from  the 
blessed  sacraments  of  our  Holy  Church,  how  will  my  soul 


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Pages  from  Eximie  Devotionis,  the  Papal  Bull  of  Alexander  VI. , 
dated  May  3,  1493.  This  document  is  considered  the  starting  point 
ot  the  diplomatic  history  of  America.  /Vow  ///^  Vatican  Archives. 


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THE  OTHER   FOT AGES  OF  COLUMBUS 


273 


be  forgotten  if  it  be  separated  from  the  body  in  this  foreign 
land  ?  Weep  for  me,  whoever  has  charity,  truth,  and  justice ! 
I  did  not  come  out  on  this  voyage  to  gain  to  myself  honor 
or  wealth ;  this  is  a  certain  fact,  for  at  that  time  all  hope 
of  such  a  thing  was  dead.  I  do  not  lie  when  I  say  that  I 
went  to  your  Highnesses  with  honest  purpose  of  heart,  and 
sincere  zeal  in  your  cause.  I  humbly  beseech  your  High 
nesses,  that  if  it  please  God  to  rescue  me  from  this  place, 
you  will  graciously  sanction  my  pilgrimage  to  Rome  and 
other  holy  places.  May  the  Holy  Trinity  protect  your 
Highnesses'  lives,  and  add  to  the  prosperity  of  your  exalted 
position ! 

Done  in  the  Indies,  in  the  island  of  Jamaica,  on  the 
seventh  of  July,  in  the  year  one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
three. 

On  September  12,  1504,  Columbus  set  sail  again  for 
Spain,  which  he  reached  on  the  yth  of  November.  His 
voyages  were  ended.  He  was  now  an  old  man,  broken 
down  in  health,  and  utterly  disappointed.  His  remaining 
strength  during  the  next  two  years  was  exhausted  in  the 
fruitless  endeavor  to  gain  from  the  calloused  and  faithless 
Ferdinand  a  reinstatement  in  those  rights  and  dignities 
which  were  his  due.  The  king  was  willing  to  grant  him 
estates  and  titles  in  Spain,  but  Columbus  insisted  that  the 
recognition  of  his  great  service  should  be  in  the  form  of 
that  hereditary  viceroyalty  over  the  Indies  for  which  he  had 
expressly  stipulated  as  the  recompense  and  reward  of  the 
immense  service  he  had  rendered  to  Spain  and  the  world; 
but  to  the  restoration  of  this  dignity  Ferdinand  would  not 
consent.  Columbus's  influence  had  been  weakened,  his 
enemies  had  discredited  him,  his  friends  had  abandoned 
him,  and  on  the  2Oth  of  May,  1506,  at  Valladolid,  the 
great  discoverer  died,  a  worn-out  and  heart-broken  man. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

AMERIGO  VESPUCCI  AND  THE  DISCOVERT  OF  THE 
CONTINENT 

ALTHOUGH  Columbus  had  sighted  the  mainland  of 
America  on  his  third  voyage,  in  1498,  his  predetermined 
theories  and  his  belief  in  the  possibility  of  reaching  the 
kingdom  of  the  Great  Khan  by  the  pursuit  of  his  plan 
prevented  his  realizing  the  possibilities  that  were  within  his 
grasp  as  the  result  of  that  glimpse  of  the  continent  obtained 
while  coasting  about  the  isle  of  Trinidad.  What  had  re 
sulted  from  his  voyages  in  the  way  of  definite  knowledge 
of  the  existence  and  position  of  the  New  World — incom 
plete  as  that  knowledge  was,  and  misunderstood  as  was  its 
actual  relation  to  the  objects  of  the  discoverer — had  quick 
ened  the  life  of  European  nations  and  given  a  new  direction 
and  impetus  to  their  energies  and  enterprise  in  its  promise 
of  enlarged  empire  and  unlimited  commercial  development. 

We  have  seen  in  Columbus's  description  of  his  third 
voyage  that  other  explorers  were  actively  seeking  to  extend 
the  field  of  discovery;  moreover,  a  basis  was  being  pro 
vided  whereon  claims  of  priority  in  the  discovery  of  the 
New  World  were  afterward  to  assume  a  controversial  form. 
The  most  interesting  of  these,  because  of  the  fact  that  the 
name  of  the  New  World  continent  is  involved  therein,  is 
that  of  Amerigo  Vespucci.  Was  Vespucci,  in  addition  to 
having  received  the  honor  of  giving  his  name  to  the  New 
World,  also  justly  entitled  to  the  glory  of  being  the  first 
European  to  discover  the  mainland  of  America  ?  This  is 

275 


2j6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

one  of  those  enigmas  of  history  which  are  the  cause  of  end 
less  discussion  and  in  regard  to  which  contending  writers, 
though  evidently  satisfied  with  their  opposing  conclusions, 
still  leave  the  impartial  reader  in  the  dark.  The  sources 
of  the  contention  in  this  instance  are  these :  Vespucci  wrote 
a  letter  describing  a  voyage  which  he  claims  to  have  made 
in  1497,  but  of  which  there  is  no  corroborative  evidence; 
on  the  contrary,  Las  Casas,  a  contemporary  and  a  trust 
worthy  historian,  says  that  Vespucci  did  not  make  such  a 
voyage.  Out  of  this  has  grown  the  controversy  which  as 
yet  shows  no  indication  of  being  conclusively  decided,  and 
which  is  likely  to  remain  an  unsolved  problem. 

In  order  to  give  this  subject  its  due  attention,  it  is  neces 
sary  to  acquaint  ourselves  with  the  facts  of  the  life  of  the 
man  whose  name  has  been  given  to  the  western  continent. 
Amerigo  Vespucci  was  born  March  9,  1451,  being  the  son 
of  a  notary  at  Florence  named  Ser  Nastagio  Vespucci.  His 
uncle,  Fra  Giorgio  Antonio  Vespucci,  a  Dominican  monk, 
was  intrusted  with  the  education  of  the  young  Amerigo, 
and,  among  other  things,  taught  him  the  Latin  that  he 
showed  such  a  fondness  for  airing  in  his  Letters.  At  that 
time  the  Medici  owned  the  principal  commercial  interest 
in  Florence,  and  Amerigo  Vespucci,  having  decided  on  a 
mercantile  career,  found  a  position  in  this  house.  There 
are  many  letters  extant  which  were  addressed  to  him  on 
business  matters,  all  of  which  indicate  that  from  1483  to 
1491  he  lived  in  Florence  and  was  absorbed  in  his  com 
mercial  pursuits.  In  1492,  he  was  sent  by  the  house  of 
Medici  to  represent  their  interest  at  Seville.  In  1495, 
an  Italian  merchant  named  Juanoto  Baracdi  undertook  to 
supply  the  Spanish  government  with  twelve  vessels  for  an 
expedition  to  the  Indies ;  but  dying  before  his  contract  was 
fulfilled,  Vespucci  was  employed  to  settle  his  affairs.  Thus 
he  became  engaged  in  the  business  of  supplying  and  out 
fitting  vessels  for  voyages  of  exploration.  Soon  after  this 
we  find  him  in  business  at  Cadiz  as  a  contractor  for  pro 
visions.  Munoz  claimed  to  have  discovered  entries  which 


FESPUCCPS  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT      277 

proved  that  Vespucci  continued  in  this  occupation  until 
May,  1498,  a  year  after  the  time  when  the  latter,  according 
to  his  own  testimony,  had  set  out  for  the  Indies. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  Columbus  landed  at  Trinidad 
and  sighted  the  mainland  of  South  America  on  the  3ist  of 
July,  1498.  There  he  found  an  abundance  of  pearls,  and 
sent  home  five  ships  carrying  news  of  this  welcome  dis 
covery  and  also  a  chart  by  which  the  government  might 
know  the  way  thither.  This  information  was  received  by 
Fonseca,  the  Superintendent  of  Affairs  in  the  Indies,  who, 
being  an  enemy  of  Columbus,  was  quite  willing  to  rob  the 
admiral  of  the  advantage  of  his  find  by  despatching  other 
explorers  to  the  newly  discovered  land.  This  unfair  meas 
ure  was  made  possible  in  consequence  of  an  act  of  equal 
injustice  done  by  Ferdinand,  who,  contrary  to  the  express 
stipulation  made  with  Columbus,  permitted  free  navigation 
to  the  Indies.  Fonseca  found  a  willing  tool  in  Alonso  de 
Hojeda,  the  daring  but  unprincipled  seaman  who  had  been 
with  Columbus  on  his  second  voyage,  but  who,  with  others, 
had  become  disloyal  to  the  great  explorer,  and  on  his  return 
home  had  joined  the  party  of  Fonseca.  He  was  now  in 
duced  by  the  glittering  prospects  at  Paria  to  organize  and 
head  an  expedition  himself.  In  order  to  obtain  funds,  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  enlist  the  capital  of  men  in  Spain 
who  were  willing  to  speculate  in  such  ventures.  In  this 
way,  Vespucci  was  brought  into  connection  with  Hojeda, 
and  probably  assisted  in  equipping  the  four  vessels  which 
formed  the  expedition  with  which  he  sailed.  All  this,  as 
we  shall  see  later,  is  proved  by  Las  Casas,  who,  as  an 
authority,  must  be  preferred  to  Vespucci,  seeing  that  he  is 
aided  by  corroborative  evidence,  of  which  support  the  Flor 
entine  is  very  noticeably  destitute.  Las  Casas  surmises  that 
Hojeda  took  Vespucci  with  him  in  the  capacity  of  pilot — a 
not  unnatural  inference,  in  view  of  the  latter's  subsequent 
appointment  by  Ferdinand. 

On  what  ground  Vespucci  acquired  the  title  and  stand 
ing  of  a  pilot  is  one  of  the  features  of  this  enigma.  That 


278  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

he  studied  cosmography  and  theoretical  astronomy  while 
engaged  in  his  mercantile  pursuits  is  evident  from  his 
writings,  but  the  duties  of  a  pilot  in  those  days  peremp 
torily  demanded  a  practical  acquaintance  with  navigation. 
On  returning  from  his  voyage  with  Hojeda,  Vespucci, 
apparently  having  given  up  his  mercantile  business,  became 
a  resident  of  Seville.  Shortly  afterward,  if  we  accept  his 
own  statement,  he  received  a  message  from  the  King  of 
Portugal  inviting  him  to  come  to  Lisbon;  and  in  the  ser 
vice  of  the  Portuguese  he  undertook  two  voyages  to  the 
coast  of  Brazil.  But  trace  of  his  appointment  to  any  office 
or  position  by  the  Portuguese  government  cannot  be  found 
among  the  archives  of  that  nation.  While  in  Lisbon, 
Vespucci  wrote  a  letter  to  Pietro  Soderini,  Gonfalonier  of 
the  republic  of  Florence,  giving  an  account  of  the  four 
voyages  which  he  claims  to  have  undertaken.  Soon  after 
this  he  returned  to  Spain,  and  in  August,  1508,  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  office  of  chief  pilot  of  that  nation,  with  a 
salary  of  seventy-five  thousand  maravedies  a  year.  He  was 
required  to  prepare  the  Padron  Real,  a  standard  chart,  from 
which  all  other  charts  were  to  be  copied;  also,  to  instruct 
and  examine  all  pilots. 

We  will  now  turn  to  Vespucci's  Letters.  In  his  account 
of  his  first  voyage  he  declares  that  he  was  selected  by  Fer 
dinand  to  accompany  four  ships  which  were  despatched  on 
an  expedition  of  discovery.  They  sailed  from  Cadiz  on  the 
loth  of  May,  1497,  gomg  ^rst  to  Grand  Canary.  From 
thence,  sailing  on  a  west-southwest  course  for  thirty-seven 
days,  they  made  the  coast  of  the  mainland  in  latitude  16° 
N.  and  longitude  from  Canary  70°  W.  Here  they  found 
an  Indian  village,  "  like  a  little  Venice,"  built  on  logs  over 
the  water.  From  thence  they  proceeded  eighty  leagues 
along  the  coast  to  a  province  that  is  called  in  the  Italian 
version  of  the  letter  u  Lariab,"  and  in  the  Latin,  "  Parias." 
Leaving  this  place,  he  says :  "  We  departed  from  this  port. 
The  province  is  called  Parias,  and  we  navigated  along  the 
coast,  always  in  sight  of  land,  until  we  had  run  along 


yEspuccrs  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT    279 

it  a  distance  of  eight  hundred  and  seventy  leagues,  always 
towards  the  northwest,  making  many  tacks  and  treating 
with  many  tribes.  In  many  places  we  discovered  gold, 
though  not  in  any  great  quantity,  but  we  did  much  in  dis 
covering  the  land,  and  in  ascertaining  that  there  was  gold. 
We  had  now  been  thirteen  months  on  the  voyage,  and  the 
ships  and  gear  were  much  worn,  and  the  men  tired.  We 
resolved,  after  consultation,  to  beach  the  ships  and  heave 
them  down,  as  they  were  making  much  water,  and  to  caulk 
them  afresh,  before  shaping  a  course  for  Spain.  When  we 
made  this  decision  we  were  near  the  finest  harbor  in  the 
world,  which  we  entered  with  our  ships.  Here  we  found 
a  great  many  people,  who  received  us  in  a  very  friendly 
manner.  On  shore  we  made  a  bastion  with  our  boats,  and 
with  casks  and  our  guns,  at  which  we  all  rejoiced.  Here 
we  lightened  and  cleared  our  ships,  and  hauled  them  up, 
making  all  the  repairs  that  were  necessary,  the  people  of 
the  country  giving  us  all  manner  of  help,  and  regularly 
supplying  us  with  provisions.  For  in  that  port  we  had 
little  relish  for  our  own,  which  we  made  fun  of,  for  our 
provisions  for  the  voyage  were  running  short,  and  were 
bad.  .  .  ."  In  return  for  this  good  treatment  by  the 
natives,  the  Spaniards  agreed  to  punish  the  enemies  of  the 
latter — a  savage  people  living  on  an  island  "one  hundred 
leagues  out  at  sea. 

"  Our  ships  having  been  repaired,  we  navigated  for  seven 
days  across  the  sea,  with  the  wind  between  the  northeast 
and  east,  and  at  the  end  of  the  seven  days  we  came  upon  the 
islands,  which  were  numerous,  some  inhabited  and  others 
deserted.  We  anchored  off  one  of  them,  where  we  saw 
many  people,  who  called  it  Iti.  Having  manned  our  boats 
with  good  men,  and  placed  three  rounds  of  the  lombard  in 
each,  we  pulled  to  the  shore,  where  we  found  four  hundred 
men  and  many  women,  all  naked.  They  were  well  made, 
and  seemed  good  fighting  men,  for  they  were  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows,  and  lances.  The  greater  part  of  them 
also  had  square  shields,  and  they  carried  them  so  that  thev 


280  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

should  not  impede  their  using  the  bow.  As  we  approached 
the  shore  in  the  boats,  at  the  distance  of  a  bowshot,  they  all 
rushed  into  the  water  to  shoot  their  arrows,  and  to  defend 
themselves  from  us  they  returned  to  the  land.  They  all 
had  their  bodies  painted  with  different  colors,  and  were 
adorned  with  feathers.  The  interpreters  told  us  that  when 
they  showed  themselves  plumed  and  painted,  it  is  a  sign 
that  they  intend  to  fight.  .  .  .  The  men  landed  with 
their  arms,  and  the  natives  came  against  us,  and  fought  us 
for  nearly  an  hour,  gaining  little  advantage,  except  that  our 
crossbowmen  and  gunners  killed  some  of  the  natives,  while 
they  wounded  some  of  our  people.  They  would  not  wait 
for  the  thrust  of  our  spears  or  swords ;  but  we  pushed  on 
with  such  vigor  at  last  that  we  came  within  sword  thrust,  and 
as  they  could  not  withstand  our  arms,  they  fled  to  the  hills 
and  woods,  leaving  us  victorious  on  the  field,  with  many 
of  their  dead  and  wounded. 

"  Next  day  we  saw  a  great  number  of  the  people  on 
shore,  still  with  signs  of  war,  sounding  horns  and  various 
other  instruments  used  by  them  for  defiance,  and  all  plumed 
and  painted,  so  that  it  was  a  very  strange  thing  to  behold 
them.  .  .  .  They  did  not  oppose  our  landing,  I  be 
lieve  from  fear  of  the  guns.  Forty  of  our  men  landed  in 
four  detachments,  each  with  a  captain,  and  attacked  them. 
After  a  long  battle,  many  of  them  being  killed,  the  rest 
were  put  to  flight.  We  followed  in  pursuit  until  we  came 
to  a  village,  having  taken  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty 
prisoners.  We  burnt  the  village  and  returned  to  the  ships 
with  these  two  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners,  leaving  many 
killed  and  wounded.  On  our  side  no  more  than  one 
was  killed  and  twenty-two  were  wounded,  who  all  recov 
ered.  God  be  thanked !  We  prepared  to  depart,  and  then 
seven  men,  five  of  whom  were  wounded,  took  a  canoe 
belonging  to  the  island,  and  with  seven  prisoners  that  we 
gave  them,  four  women  and  three  men,  they  returned  to 
their  land  with  much  joy,  astonished  at  our  power.  We 
made  sail  for  Spain  with  two  hundred  and  twenty-two 


VESPUCCFS  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT      28 1 

prisoners,  our  slaves,  and  arrived  in  the  port  of  Cadiz  on 
the  1 5th  of  October,  1498,  where  we  were  well  received, 
and  where  we  sold  our  slaves.'' — (First  Letter  of  Amerigo 
^espucci.\ 

If  Vespucci  really  made  the  voyage  which  he  describes 
in  this  letter  as  being  his  first,  he  can  justly  lay  claim  to  the 
glory  of  not  only  having  been  the  first  to  reach  the  main 
land,  but  of  having  explored  the  coast  from  Veragua  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien  to  Chesapeake  Bay,  the  latter  being  that 
"  finest  harbor  in  the  world  "  where  he  remained  thirty-seven 
days.  But  there  are  substantial  evidences  which  seem  to 
refute  this  claim. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  important  to  prove  that  the  second 
voyage  which,  according  to  his  own  account,  Vespucci 
took  was  identical  with  that  of  Hojeda.  This  cannot  be 
shown  by  any  credit  given  or  reference  made  to  the  latter 
by  Vespucci;  for  it  is  an  extremely  singular  fact  that  in 
none  of  the  accounts  of  his  four  voyages  does  he  make  any 
mention  by  name  of  shipmates,  commanding  or  serving. 
But  that  he  did  sail  with  Hojeda  is  made  abundantly  plain 
by  the  latter's  testimony  which  he  gave  in  a  lawsuit  which, 
some  years  afterward,  Diego  Columbus  brought  against  the 
Crown  to  recover  the  governorship  of  the  Indies,  which 
had  been  promised  to  the  heirs  of  Columbus  in  perpetuity. 
Inasmuch  as  no  defence  could  have  been  more  effective  for 
the  Crown  than  to  prove  that  Columbus  had  precursors  in 
his  discovery  of  the  continent,  and  yet  not  one  was  forth 
coming,  this  is  good  evidence  that  the  exploits  of  Vespucci, 
as  narrated  in  his  first  letter,  were  unknown  in  Spain. 
Indeed,  as  is  seen  in  the  subjoined  quotation  from  his  testi 
mony  respecting  his  voyage  of  1499—1500,  Hojeda  plainly 
testifies  that,  previous  to  his  own  voyage,  no  one  had 
touched  at  any  point  on  the  coast  in  question. 

"  Alonso  de  Hojeda  gave  evidence  that  the  true  reply  to  the 
question  is  that  this  witness  is  the  said  Hojeda,  who  was 
the  first  man  that  went  to  make  discoveries  after  the  said 


282  DISCOFERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Admiral,  and  that  he  discovered  the  mainland  to  the  south 
and  coasted  it  for  nearly  two  hundred  leagues  to  Paria,  and 
went  out  by  the  '  Boca  del  Drago,'  and  there  he  knew 
that  the  Admiral  had  been  at  the  island  of  Trinidad,  near  the 
mainland  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of  Pearls  and  the  island  of 
Margarita,  where  he  landed,  because  he  knew  that  the 
Admiral  had  only  sighted  it,  and  thence  he  proceeded  to 
discover  all  the  coast  of  the  mainland  from  '  Los  Frayles ' 
to  the  '  Isla  de  los  Gigantes,'  the  Gulf  of  Venecia,  which 
is  on  the  mainland,  and  the  provinces  of  Quinquilacoa. 
On  all  that  land,  from  two  hundred  leagues  beyond  Paria, 
and  from  Paria  to  the  Pearls,  and  from  the  Pearls  to  Quin- 
quilacoa,  which  this  witness  discovered,  no  one  else  had 
discovered  or  touched  at,  neither  the  Admiral  nor  any  other 
person,  and  in  this  voyage,  the  said  witness  took  with  him 
Juan  de  la  Cosa  and  Morigo  Vespuche,  and  other  pilots, 
and  this  witness  was  despatched  for  this  voyage  by  order 
of  the  said  Don  Juan  de  Fonseca,  Bishop  of  Palencia,  by 
order  of  their  Highnesses." 

Of  Hojeda's  voyages  we  have  no  account  written  by 
himself,  and  therefore  can  only  determine  what  was  the 
precise  part  he  played  by  such  mentions  and  references 
as  are  to  be  found  in  contemporary  documents.  Among 
historians  who  by  scholarly  and  exhaustive  research  have 
tested  the  possibilities  of  these  documents  and  State  papers, 
Navarrete  (born  in  1765,  died  in  1844)  is  the  recognized 
leader;  at  present  we  are  in  possession  of  nothing  more 
trustworthy  on  this  subject  than  his  conclusions.  The 
following  extract  from  his  work  describes  the  voyage  of 
Hojeda,  1499—1500,  and  its  results: 

uln  December,  1498,  the  news  arrived  of  the  discovery 
of  Paria.  The  splendid  ideas  of  the  discoverer  touching 
the  beauty  and  wealth  of  that  region  were  presently  made 
known,  and  the  spirit  of  maritime  enterprise  was  revived 
with  renewed  vigor.  Some  of  those  who  had  sailed  with 


VESPUCCPS  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT      283 

the  Admiral,  and  had  benefited  by  his  instruction  and  ex 
ample,  solicited  and  obtained  from  the  Court  licences  to 
discover,  at  their  own  proper  cost,  the  regions  beyond  what 
was  already  known,  paying  into  the  Treasury  a  fourth  or 
fifth  part  of  what  they  acquired. 

"The  first  who  adventured  was  Alonso  de  Hojeda,  a 
native  of  Cuenca.  Owing  to  his  energy  and  the  favor 
of  the  Bishop  Don  Rodriguez  de  Fonseca,  he  soon  collected 
the  funds  and  the  crews  necessary  for  the  equipment  of 
four  vessels  in  the  port  of  Santa  Maria,  where  Juan  de  la 
Cosa  resided;7  a  great  mariner  according  to  popular  ideas, 
and  not  inferior  to  the  Admiral  himself  in  his  own  conceit. 
He  had  been  a  shipmate  and  pupil  of  the  Admiral  in  the 
expedition  to  Cuba  and  Jamaica.  This  man  was  the  prin 
cipal  pilot  of  Hojeda.  They  also  engaged  others  who  had 
been  in  the  Paria  voyage.  Among  the  other  sharers  in  the 
enterprise,  the  Florentine  Americo  Vespucci  merits  special 
mention. 

"With  such  useful  companions  Hojeda  put  to  sea  on 
the  1 8th  or  the  2Oth  of  May,  1499.  They  touched  at  the 
Canaries,  where  they  took  in  such  supplies  as  they  needed, 
and  entered  on  the  ocean  voyage  from  Gomera,  following 
the  route  of  the  last  voyage  of  the  Admiral,  for  Hojeda  was 
in  possession  of  the  marine  chart  which  Columbus  had 
drawn.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  days  they  came  in  sight 
of  the  continent  of  the  New  World,  further  south  than  the 
point  reached  by  the  Admiral,  and  apparently  on  the  coast 
of  Surinam.  They  sailed  along  in  sight  of  the  coast  for 
nearly  two  hundred  leagues,  from  the  neighborhood  of  the 
equator  to  the  Gulf  of  Paria,  without  landing.  In  passing, 
besides  other  rivers,  they  saw  two  very  large  ones  which 
made  the  sea  water  to  be  fresh  for  a  long  distance,  one 
coming  from  south  to  north,  which  should  be  the  river  now 
called  Essequibo  in  Dutch  Guiana,  and  which  was  for  some 
time  called  the  Rio  Dulce.  The  course  of  the  other  was 
from  west  to  east,  and  may  have  been  the  Orinoco,  the 
waters  of  which  flow  for  many  leagues  into  the  sea  without 


284  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

mixing  with  the  salt  water.  The  land  on  the  coast  was, 
generally,  low  and  covered  with  very  dense  forest.  The 
currents  were  exceedingly  strong  towards  the  N.  E.,  fol 
lowing  the  general  direction  of  the  coast. 

u  The  first  inhabited  land  seen  by  our  navigators  was  the 
island  of  Trinidad,  on  the  south  coast  of  which  they  saw  a 
crowd  of  astonished  people  watching  them  from  the  shore. 
They  landed  at  three  different  places  with  the  launches 
well  provisioned,  and  twenty-two  well-armed  men.  The 
natives  were  Caribs,  or  Cannibals,  of  fine  presence  and 
stature,  of  great  vigor,  and  very  expert  in  the  use  of  bows 
and  arrows,  and  shields,  which  were  their  proper  arms. 
Although  they  showed  some  reluctance  to  come  near  the 
Spaniards  at  first,  they  were  very  soon  satisfied  of  the  friendly 
intentions  of  the  strangers,  and  bartered  with  them  amicably. 
Thence  they  entered  the  Gulf  of  Paria,  and  anchored  near 
the  river  Guarapiche,  where  they  also  saw  a  populous  vil 
lage  of  peaceful  Indians  near  the  shore.  They  opened  com 
munications  with  the  inhabitants,  and,  among  other  presents, 
received  from  them  a  kind  of  cider  made  of  fruits,  as  well  as 
some  fruit  like  mirabolans,  of  exquisite  flavor,  and  here  some 
pearls  were  obtained.  They  saw  parrots  of  various  colors ; 
and  they  parted  company  with  these  people  on  friendly  terms. 
Hojeda  says  that  they  found  traces  of  the  Admiral's  having 
been  in  the  island  of  Trinidad,  near  the  Dragon's  Mouth, 
which  circumstance  was  carefully  omitted  by  Vespucci. 

"  Having  passed  the  mouth  of  the  terrible  strait,  Hojeda 
continued  his  discovery  along  the  coast  of  the  mainland  as 
far  as  the  Gulf  of  Pearls  or  Curiana,  visiting  and  landing 
on  the  island  of  Margarita,  which  is  in  front,  as  he  knew 
that  Columbus  had  only  sighted  it  in  passing.  In  passing 
he  noticed  the  islets  called  Los  Frailes,  which  are  nine  miles 
to  the  east,  and  north  of  Margarita,  and  the  rock  Centinela. 
Thence  he  stood  in  shore  by  the  cape  Isleos  (now  called 
Codera),  anchoring  in  the  road  which  he  called  Aldea  Ven- 
cida.  He  continued  to  coast  along  from  port  to  port,  accord 
ing  to  the  expression  of  the  pilot  Morales,  until  he  reached 


VESPUCCI'S  DISCO  FERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT      285 

the  Puerto  Flechado  (now  Chichirivichi),  where  he  seems 
to  have  had  some  encounter  with  the  Indians,  who  wounded 
twenty-one  of  his  men,  of  whom  one  died,  as  soon  as  he  was 
brought  to  be  cured,  in  one  of  the  coves  that  are  between 
that  port  and  the  Vela  de  Coro,  where  they  remained  twenty 
days.  From  this  place  they  shaped  a  course  for  the  island 
of  Cura^oa,  which  they  called  Isla  de  los  Gigantes,  where 
Americo  supposed  there  was  a  race  of  uncommon  stature. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  understand  the  expressions  of  horror 
with  which  the  natives  referred  to  the  Caribs,  and  this 
sufficed  to  make  Vespucci  assert  that  he  had  seen  Ponta- 
siloas  and  Antaeus.  They  then  crossed  to  a  land  which 
they  judged  to  be  an  island,  distant  ten  leagues  from  Cura- 
coa,  and  saw  the  cape  forming  a  peninsula,  which  they 
named  San  Roman,  probably  because  it  was  discovered  on 
the  9th  of  August,  on  which  the  feast  of  that  saint  is  kept. 
Having  rounded  the  cape,  they  entered  a  great  gulf,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  which,  where  it  is  shallow  and  clear  of 
rocks,  they  saw  a  great  village,  with  the  houses  built  over 
the  water,  on  piles  driven  into  the  bottom,  and  the  people 
communicated  from  one  to  the  other  in  canoes.  Hojeda 
named  it  the  Gulf  of  Venice,  from  its  similarity  to  that 
famous  city  of  Italy.  The  Indians  called  it  the  Gulf  of 
Coquibacoa,  and  we  know  it  now  as  the  Gulf  of  Venezuela. 
They  explored  the  interior,  and  discovered,  as  it  would 
seem,  on  the  24th  of  August,  the  lake  and  port  of  San 
Bartolome,  now  the  lake  of  Maracaibo,  where  they  obtained 
some  Indian  women  of  notable  beauty  and  disposition.  It 
is  certain  that  the  natives  of  this  country  had  the  fame  of 
being  more  beautiful  and  gracious  than  those  of  any  other 
part  of  that  continent.  Having  explored  the  western  part 
of  the  gulf,  and  doubled  the  Cape  of  Coquibacoa,  Hojeda 
and  his  companions  examined  the  coast  as  far  as  the  Cabo 
de  la  Vela,  the  extreme  point  reached  in  this  voyage.  On 
the  3Oth  of  August  they  turned  on  their  homeward  voyage 
for  Espaiiola  or  Santo  Domingo,  and  entered  the  port  of 
Yaquimo  on  the  5th  of  September,  1499,  with  the  intention 


286  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  loading  with  brasil  wood,  according  to  what  Don  Fernando 
Columbus  says. 

"  Here  Hojeda  had  those  disputes  with  Roldan  which  are 
referred  to  by  our  historians,  but,  finally,  with  leave  from 
that  chief,  Hojeda  removed  his  ships  to  Surana,  in  Febru 
ary,  1500.  According  to  Vespucci,  in  his  letter  to  Medici, 
they  navigated  from  Espanola  in  a  northerly  direction  for  two 
hundred  leagues,  discovering  more  than  a  thousand  islands, 
most  of  them  inhabited,  which  would  probably  be  the 
Lucayos,  although  those  are  not  nearly  so  numerous.  On 
one  of  these  he  says  that  they  violently  seized  two  hundred 
and  thirty-two  persons  for  slaves,  and  that  from  thence  they 
returned  to  Spain  by  the  islands  of  the  Azores,  Canary,  and 
Madeira,  arriving  in  the  Bay  of  Cadiz  in  the  middle  of 
June,  1500,  where  they  sold  many  of  the  two  hundred 
slaves  that  arrived,  the  rest  having  died  on  the  voyage. 
The  truth  of  these  events  is  not  very  certain,  but  it  is  certain 
that  the  profit  of  the  expedition  was  very  small.  According 
to  the  same  Vespucci,  deducting  costs,  not  more  than  five 
hundred  ducats  remained  to  divide  among  fifty-five  share 
holders,  and  this  when,  besides  the  price  of  the  slaves,  they 
brought  home  a  quantity  of  pearls  worthy  of  a  place  in  the 
royal  treasury,  of  gold  and  some  precious  stones,  but  not 
many,  for,  imitating  badly  the  acts  of  the  Admiral,  the 
desire  to  push  on  for  discovery  was  greater  than  that  for 
the  acquisition  of  riches." — (From  Navarrete,  Coleccion  de 
los  viajes,  etc.,  iii,  3—11.) 

A  careful  reading  and  comparison  of  this  with  Vespucci's 
first  and  second  letters  will  not  only  show  that  Hojeda's 
voyage  and  that  which  Vespucci  represents  as  his  second 
were  identical,  but  that  some  things  which  the  latter  put 
down  in  the  account  of  his  alleged  first  voyage  really  hap 
pened  in  this  expedition  in  which  he  accompanied  Hojeda. 
Roldan,  who  was  sent  by  Columbus  to  watch  Hojeda's 
operations  in  Hispaniola,  wrote  a  letter  giving  an  account 
of  how  the  latter  had  a  hostile  encounter  with  the  natives  in 


VESPUCCPS  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT      287 

which  one  Spaniard  was  killed  and  about  twenty  wounded. 
This  Vespucci  inserts  in  his  narrative  of  his  first  voyage. 
He  also  describes  in  the  same  letter  the  village  which 
Hojeda  discovered  and  named  Gulf  of  Venice. 

We  have,  moreover,  a  trustworthy  contemporary  witness 
against  Vespucci.  Upon  Las  Casas,  more  than  any  other 
writer  of  his  time,  we  depend  for  our  knowledge  of  the  first 
Spanish  voyages.  While  he  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  the 
rights  of  the  Indians  and  blamed  Columbus  for  much  of 
the  evil  which  fell  upon  the  unfortunate  natives  of  the  In 
dies,  he  is  yet  anxious  that  the  admiral  should  receive  his 
due  meed  of  praise  for  his  discoveries.  If  Vespucci  really 
undertook  in  1497  a  voyage  to  the  western  continent  at  the 
command  of  King  Ferdinand,  it  is  absolutely  inexplicable 
why  Las  Casas  did  not  come  to  know  of  it.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  Las  Casas  knew  of  such  a  voyage,  it  is  entirely 
incredible  that  he  should  deny  it,  yet  he  constitutes  him 
self  a  zealous  and  indeed  indignant  opponent  of  Vespucci's 
claim,  for  he  writes: 

u  It  is  manifest  that  the  Admiral  Don  Cristobal  Colon 
was  the  first  by  whom  Divine  Providence  ordained  that  this 
our  great  continent  should  be  discovered,  and  chose  him  for 
the  instrument  through  which  all  these  hitherto  unknown 
Indies  should  be  shown  to  the  world.  He  saw  it  on  Wednes 
day,  the  ist  of  August,  one  day  after  he  discovered  the 
island  of  Trinidad,  in  the  year  of  our  salvation,  1498.  He 
gave  it  the  name  of  Isla  Santa,  believing  that  it  was  an 
island.  He  then  began  to  enter  the  Gulf  of  La  Ballena, 
by  the  entrance  called  the  Mouth  of  the  Serpent  by  him, 
finding  all  the  water  fresh,  and  it  is  this  entrance  which 
forms  the  island  of  Trinidad,  separating  it  from  the  main 
land  called  Santa.  On  the  following  Friday,  being  the  3d 
of  August,  he  discovered  the  point  of  Paria,  which  he  also 
believed  to  be  an  island,  giving  it  the  name  of  Gracia.  But  all 
was  mainland,  as  in  due  time  appeared,  and  still  more  clearly 
now  is  it  known  that  here  there  is  an  immense  continent. 


288  D1SCOFERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

"It  is  well  here  to  consider  the  injury  and  injustice  which 
that  Americo  Vespucci  appears  to  have  done  to  the  Admiral, 
or  that  those  have  done  who  published  his  Four  Naviga 
tions,  in  attributing  the  discovery  of  this  continent  to  him 
self,  without  mentioning  anyone  but  himself.  Owing  to 
this,  all  the  foreigners  who  write  of  these  Indies  in  Latin, 
or  in  their  own  mother  tongue,  or  who  make  charts  or 
maps,  call  the  continent  America,  as  having  been  first  dis 
covered  by  Americo. 

"For  as  Americo  was  a  Latinist,  and  eloquent,  he  knew 
how  to  make  use  of  the  first  voyage  he  undertook,  and  to 
give  the  credit  to  himself,  as  if  he  had  been  the  princi 
pal  captain  of  it.  He  was  only  one  of  those  who  were 
with  the  captain,  Alonso  de  Hojeda,  either  as  a  mariner, 
or  because,  as  a  trader,  he  had  contributed  towards  the 
expenses  of  the  expedition;  but  he  secured  notoriety  by 
dedicating  his  Navigations  to  King  Rene  of  Naples.  Cer 
tainly  these  Navigations  unjustly  usurp  from  the  Admiral 
the  honor  and  privilege  of  having  been  the  first  who,  by 
his  labors,  industry,  and  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  gave  to 
Spain  and  to  the  world  a  knowledge  of  this  continent, 
as  well  as  of  all  the  Western  Indies.  Divine  Providence 
reserved  this  honor  and  privilege  for  the  Admiral  Don 
Cristobal  Colon,  and  for  no  other.  For  this  reason  no 
one  can  presume  to  usurp  the  credit,  nor  to  give  it  to  him 
self  or  to  another,  without  wrong,  injustice,  and  injury 
committed  against  the  Admiral,  and  consequently  without 
offence  against  God. 

"In  order  that  this  truth  may  be  made  manifest,  I  will 
here  relate  truthfully,  and  impartially,  the  information  on 
the  subject  which  I  possess.  To  understand  the  matter  it 
is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  Admiral  left  San  Lucar, 
on  his  third  voyage,  on  the  3Oth  of  May,  1498,  and  arrived 
at  the  Cape  Verd  Islands  on  the  2yth  of  June.  He  sighted 
the  island  of  Trinidad  on  Tuesday,  the  3ist  of  July,  and 
soon  afterwards,  on  Wednesday,  the  1st  of  August,  he  saw 
the  continent  to  the  south  of  a  strait  two  leagues  wide, 


VESPUCCPS  DISCOFERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT:      289 

between  it  and  the  island  of  Trinidad.  He  called  this  strait 
the  Boca  del  Sierpe,  and  the  mainland,  believing  it  to  be  an 
island,  he  named  Isla  Sancta.  Presently,  on  the  following 
Friday,  he  sighted  and  discovered  Paria,  which  he  called  Isla 
de  Gracia,  thinking  that  it  also  was  an  island.  An  account 
of  all  these  discoveries,  with  a  painted  outline  of  the  land, 
was  sent  by  the  Admiral  to  the  Sovereigns. 

"  This  being  understood,  we  shall  now  see  when  Americo 
Vespucci  set  out,  and  with  whom,  to  discover  and  trade  in 
those  parts.  Those  who  may  read  this  history  must  know 
that,  at  that  time,  Alonso  de  Hojeda  was  in  Castille,  when 
the  account  of  the  discovery  and  of  the  form  of  that  land 
arrived,  which  was  sent  by  the  Admiral  to  the  Sovereigns. 
This  report  and  map  came  into  the  hands  of  the  Bishop 
Don  Juan  Rodriguez  de  Fonseca,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Palencia,  who  had  charge  of  all  business  connected  with 
the  Indies  from  the  beginning,  and  was  then  Archdeacon 
of  Seville.  The  said  Alonso  de  Hojeda  was  a  great  favor 
ite  of  the  bishop,  and  when  the  report  of  the  Admiral  and 
the  map  arrived,  Fonseca  suggested  to  Hojeda  to  go 
and  make  more  discoveries  in  the  same  direction  as  the 
Admiral  had  taken.  For  when  the  thread  is  discovered  and 
placed  in  the  hand,  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  reach  the  skein. 
Hojeda  was  aided  by  the  information  which  the  Admiral 
had  collected  from  the  Indians  when  he  served  in  the  first 
voyage,  that  there  was  a  continent  behind  the  lands  and 
islands  then  reached.  As  he  had  the  favor  and  good  will  of 
the  bishop,  he  looked  out  for  persons  who  would  fit  out 
some  ships,  for  he  himself  had  not  sufficient  funds.  As  he 
was  known  in  Seville  as  a  brave  and  distinguished  man, 
he  found,  either  theie,  or  perhaps  at  the  port  of  Santa  Maria, 
whence  he  sailed,  someone  who  enabled  him  to  fit  out  four 
ships.  The  Sovereigns  gave  him  his  commission  and  in 
structions,  and  appointed  him  captain,  for  the  discovery  and 
purchase  of  gold  and  pearls,  a  fifth  being  reserved  as  the 
royal  share,  and  to  treat  of  peace  and  friendship  with  people 
he  should  meet  with  during  the  expedition. 


290 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


"Thus  the  first  who  went  to  discover  after  the  Admiral 
was  no  other  than  Alonso  de  Hojeda.  Those  whom  he 
took,  and  wanted  to  take  in  this  company,  consisted  of  the 
sailors  who  were  acquainted  with  the  voyage  to  those  lands, 
who  were  none  others  than  those  who  had  come  and  gone 
with  the  Admiral.  Those  were  the  principal  mariners  of 
the  time.  One  of  them  was  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  a  Biscayan, 
who  went  with  the  Admiral  when  he  discovered  this  island, 
and  was  afterwards  with  him  in  the  Cuba  and  Jamaica  dis 
covery,  the  most  laborious  voyage  up  to  that  time.  Hojeda 
also  took  with  him  the  pilot  Bartolome  Roldan,  who  was 
well  known  in  this  city  of  San  Domingo,  and  who  built, 
from  their  foundations,  a  great  number  of  the  houses 
now  standing  in  the  four  streets.  He  too  had  been  with 
the  Admiral  in  his  first  voyage,  and  also  in  the  discovery 
of  Paria  and  the  mainland.  Hojeda  also  took  the  said 
Americo,  and  I  do  not  know  whether  as  pilot,  or  as  a  man 
instructed  in  navigation  and  learned  in  cosmography.  For 
it  appears  that  Hojeda  puts  him  among  the  pilots  he  took 
with  him. 

"  I  gather  from  the  prologue  he  addressed  to  King  Rene 
of  Naples,  in  the  book  of  his  four  Navigations,  that  the  said 
Americo  was  a  merchant,  for  so  he  confesses.  Probably 
he  contributed  some  money  towards  the  expenses  of  fitting 
out  the  four  ships,  with  the  condition  of  receiving  a  pro 
portionate  share  of  the  profits.  Although  Americo  asserts 
that  the  King  of  Castille  sent  out  the  expedition,  and  that 
they  went  to  discover  by  his  order,  this  is  not  true.  Three 
or  four,  or  ten,  persons  combined,  who  were  possessed  of 
some  money,  and  begged  and  even  importuned  the  Sover 
eigns  for  permission  to  go  and  discover  and  search,  with  the 
object  of  promoting  their  own  profits  and  interests.  Thus 
Hojeda,  owing  to  his  having  got  possession  of  the  chart 
which  the  Admiral  had  sent  home  of  the  mainland  he  had 
discovered,  for  the  Sovereigns,  and  owing  to  his  having  with 
him  the  pilots  and  mariners  who  had  been  with  the  Admiral, 
came  to  discover  the  further  part  of  the  mainland. 


VESPUCCI'S  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENT 


291 


"  It  is  a  thing  well  known,  and  established  by  many  wit 
nesses,  that  Americo  went  with  Alonso  de  Hojeda,  and 
that  Hojeda  went  after  the  Admiral  had  discovered  the 
mainland.  It  is  also  proved  by  Alonso  de  Hojeda  himself. 
He  was  produced  as  a  witness  in  favor  of  the  Crown,  when 
the  Admiral  Don  Diego,  next  and  legitimate  successor 
of  the  Admiral  Don  Cristobal  Colon,  had  a  lawsuit  with 
the  Crown  for  all  the  estate  of  which  his  father  had  been 
dispossessed,  as  he  was  by  the  same  cause.  Alonso  de 
Hojeda  testified  as  follows,  in  his  reply  to  the  second  ques 
tion.  He  was  asked  cif  he  knew  that  the  Admiral  Don 
Cristobal  Colon  had  not  discovered  any  part  of  what  is 
now  called  the  mainland,  except  when  he  once  touched 
at  the  part  called  Paria  ? '  The  answer  of  Hojeda  was  that 
the  Admiral  touched  at  the  island  of  Trinidad,  and  passed 
between  that  island  and  the  Boca  del  Drago,  which  is 
Paria,  and  that  he  sighted  the  island  of  Margarita.  Being 
asked  how  he  knew  this,  he  answered  that  he  knew  it 
because  he,  the  witness,  saw  the  chart  which  the  said  Ad 
miral  sent  to  Castille,  to  the  King  and  Queen  our  Lords, 
of  what  he  had  discovered  at  that  time:  and  also  because 
he,  the  witness,  soon  afterwards  went  on  his  voyage  of  dis 
covery,  and  found  that  the  Admiral's  account  of  what  he 
had  discovered  was  the  truth.  To  the  fifth  question,  which 
refers  to  what  the  same  Hojeda  discovered  himself  beyond 
Paria,  he  replied  as  follows :  c  I  was  the  first  to  go  on  an 
exploring  expedition  after  the  discovery  of  the  Admiral,  and 
I  went  first  nearly  two  hundred  leagues  to  the  south  on  the 
mainland,  and  afterwards  came  to  Paria,  going  out  by  the  Boca 
del  Drago.  There  I  ascertained  that  the  Admiral  had  been 
at  the  island  of  Trinidad,  bordering  on  the  Boca  del  Drago.' 
Further  on  he  says :  '  In  the  voyage  which  this  witness 
undertook,  he  took  with  him  Juan  de  la  Cosa  and  Americo 
Vespucco,  and  other  pilots.'  Alonso  de  Hojeda  says  this, 
among  other  things,  in  his  deposition  and  statement. 

"Two  things  are  thus  proved  by  Hojeda  himself.  One 
is  that  he  took  Americo  with  him,  and  the  other  that  he 


292 


DISCO  VER  T  AND  EX  PL  ORA  TION 


undertook  his  voyage  to  the  mainland,  after  it  had  been  dis 
covered  by  the  Admiral.  The  latter  fact  is  established 
beyond  any  doubt,  namely,  that  the  Admiral  was  the  first 
who  discovered  Paria,  and  that  he  was  there  before  any 
other  Christian  whatever  was  either  there  or  on  any  other 
part  of  the  mainland,  or  had  any  tidings  of  it.  The  Ad 
miral  Don  Diego,  his  son,  had  proof  of  this  from  sixty 
hearsay  witnesses  and  twenty-five  eyewitnesses,  as  is  seen 
by  the  records  of  the  lawsuit,  which  I  have  not  only  seen 
but  thoroughly  examined.  It  was  also  proved  that  it  was 
owing  to  the  Admiral's  having  first  discovered  these  islands 
of  the  Indies,  and  afterwards  Paria,  which  is  the  mainland, 
before  anyone  else  whatever,  that  the  others  had  the  courage 
to  follow  his  example  and  become  discoverers.  It  may  be 
held  for  certain  that  no  one  would  have  undertaken  to  go 
on  voyages  of  discovery,  and  that  neither  the  Indies  nor 
any  part  of  them  would  have  been  made  known  if  the 
Admiral  had  not  led  the  way.  This  is  proved  by  sixteen 
hearsay  witnesses,  by  forty-one  who  believed  it,  by  twenty 
who  knew  it,  and  by  thirteen  who  gave  evidence  that  in 
their  belief  the  Admiral  made  his  discoveries  before  anyone 
else  whatever.  Peter  Martyr  also  gives  the  same  testimony 
in  the  first  Decade,  chapters  8  and  9.  This  author  deserves 
more  credit  than  any  of  those  who  have  written  in  Latin, 
because  he  was  in  Castille  at  the  time,  and  knew  all  the 
explorers,  and  they  were  glad  to  tell  him  all  they  had  seen 
and  discovered, as  a  man  in  authority;  and  because  he  made 
his  inquiries  with  a  view  to  writing  as  we  mentioned  in  the 
prologue  of  the  history. 

"  Americo  confesses  in  his  first  Navigation  that  he  arrived 
at  Paria  during  his  first  voyage,  saying:  lEt  provincia  ipsa 
Parias  ab  ipsis  nuncupata  est.'  Afterwards  he  made  the 
second  Navigation,  also  with  Hojeda. 

"Here  it  is  important  to  note  and  make  clear  the  error 
made  by  the  world  in  general  respecting  America.  What 
I  say  is  this :  As  no  one  had  arrived  at  or  seen  Paria  before 
the  Admiral,  and  as  the  next  explorer  who  arrived  was 


VESPUCCrs  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONriNENT 


293 


Hojeda,  it  follows  that  either  Americo  was  with  Hojeda, 
or  came  after  him.  If  he  was  with  Hojeda,  Hojeda  was 
after  the  Admiral.  The  Admiral  left  San  Lucar  on  the 
3Oth  of  May,  and  came  in  sight  of  Trinidad  and  the  main 
land  on  the  last  day  of  July,  and  the  ist  and  3rd  of  August, 
as  has  been  proved.  How,  therefore,  can  Americo  say, 
without  a  perversion  of  the  truth,  that  he  left  Cadiz  in  his 
first  Navigation  on  the  loth  of  May  of  the  year  of  our 
salvation  1497?  The  falsehood  is  clear,  and  if  the  state 
ment  was  made  by  him  in  earnest,  he  committed  a  great 
infamy.  Even  if  it  is  not  an  intentional  falsehood,  it  seems 
to  be  so;  for  he  gives  himself  an  advantage  of  ten  days  as 
regards  the  Admiral,  with  reference  to  the  departure  from 
Cadiz,  for  the  Admiral  left  San  Lucar  on  the  3Oth  of  May, 
and  Americo  alleges  that  he  departed  from  Cadiz  on  the 
2Oth  of  that  month,  and  also  usurps  a  year,  for  the  Admiral 
sailed  in  1498,  while  Americo  pretends  that  he  set  out  on 
his  first  Navigation  in  the  year  1497.  ^  *s  true  tnat  tnere 
would  seem  to  be  a  mistake,  and  not  an  intentional  fraud 
in  this,  for  Americo  says  that  his  first  Navigation  occupied 
eighteen  months,  and  at  the  end  he  asserts  that  the  date  of 
his  return  to  Cadiz  was  the  I5th  of  October,  1499.  If  he 
left  Cadiz  on  the  2Oth  of  May,  1497,  tne  voyage  occupied 
twenty-nine  months:  seven  in  the  year  1497,  a^  tne  year 
1498,  and  ten  months  in  the  year  1499.  It  is  possible 
that  1499  may  be  a  misprint  for  1498  in  treating  of  the 
return  to  Castille,  and  if  this  was  so,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  fraud  was  intentional.  This  fraud  or  mistake, 
whichever  it  may  have  been,  and  the  power  of  writing  and 
narrating  well  and  in  a  good  style,  as  well  as  Americo's 
silence  respecting  the  name  of  his  captain,  which  was  Ho 
jeda,  and  his  care  to  mention  no  one  but  himself,  and  his 
dedication  to  King  Rene, — these  things  have  led  foreign 
writers  to  name  our  mainland  AMERICANS  if  Americo  alone, 
and  not  another  with  him,  had  made  the  discovery  before 
all  others.  It  is  manifest  what  injustice  he  did  if  he  inten 
tionally  usurped  what  belonged  to  another,  namely  to  the 


294  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Admiral  Don  Cristobal  Colon,  and  with  what  good  reason 
this  discovery  and  all  its  consequences  should  belong  to 
the  Admiral,  after  the  goodness  and  providence  of  God, 
which  chose  him  for  this  work.  As  it  belongs  more  to 
him,  the  said  continent  ought  to  be  called  c  Columba,'  after 
Colon,  or  Columbo,  who  discovered  it,  or  else  'Sancta' 
or  'De  Gracia,'  the  names  he  himself  gave  it,  and  not 
'America,'  after  Americo." 

The  conclusions  to  which  an  impartial  investigation  leads 
one  are  as  follows :  Vespucci  accompanied  Hojeda  in  the 
voyage  on  which  he  started  in  May,  1499.  His  position 
was  that  of  either  merchant  or  pilot,  possibly  both.  This 
voyage  he  describes  in  his  second  letter,  but  without  giving 
the  least  credit  to  Hojeda  as  commander  of  the  expedition, 
or  to  anyone  save  himself.  After  this  experience  in  the 
western  world,  he  was  able  to  give  an  interesting  account 
of  an  imaginary  voyage  which  he  claims  to  have  made  in 
1497.  It  *s  impossible  to  find  any  motive  for  this  fabri 
cation  other  than  a  desire  to  appropriate  to  himself  the  honor 
of  having  been  the  first  discoverer  of  the  mainland.  Both 
these  accounts,  moreover,  are  almost  useless  geographically, 
for  they  consist  mainly  of  descriptions  of  the  natives  and 
their  customs,  and  are  exceedingly  vague  as  to  landmarks. 
In  regard  to  the  voyages  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  the 
command  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  while  it  is  possible  that 
they  were  undertaken,  yet,  lacking  corroborative  evidence, 
their  historical  value  is  small.  Vespucci,  however,  is  not 
to  be  accused  of  being  concerned  in  the  injustice  of  having 
his  name  given  to  the  newly  discovered  continent,  save  in 
so  far  as  this  was  an  accident  resulting  from  his  fraudulent 
account  in  his  first  letter. 

The  name  "America"  was  first  proposed  by  a  school 
master  of  Alsace,  named  Waldseemuller.  Translating  this 
German  name  into  the  Greek  Hylacomylus,  he  signed  it  to 
a  geographical  work  which  he  published  in  1507.  In  this 
he  wrote :  "  And  as  these  parts  have  been  more  widely 


VESPUCCI'S  DISCOVERT  OF  THE  CONTINENr      295 

explored,  and  another  fourth  part  has  been  discovered  by 
Americus  Vesputius,  as  may  be  perceived  by  the  following 
letters,  I  do  not  see  why  anyone  may  justly  forbid  the  call 
ing  of  this  part  Amerige,  that  is,  the  land  of  Americus,  from 
Americus  the  discoverer,  a  man  of  intelligence,  since  both 
Europe  and  Asia  have  taken  their  names  from  women." 

This  name  was  copied  and  speedily  grew  into  general 
use,  and  thereby  another  injustice  was  added  to  the  many 
wrongs  suffered  by  Columbus;  or  if  it  be  contended  that 
the  first  commander  to  land  on  the  continent  should  have 
received  this  honor,  then  Hojeda  was  entitled  to  it;  or, 
again,  it  should  have  fallen  to  John  Cabot,  who  discovered 
the  mainland  on  June  24,  1497.  Spain  was  not  alone  in  the 
eager  desire  to  extend  her  dominions  and  draw  upon  the  re 
sources  which  the  westward  discoveries  promised.  England 
was  already  in  the  field  with  the  Cabots,  and  Portugal,  who 
had  pushed  her  explorations  eastward,  was  also  soon  to  turn 
her  face  to  the  west  with  the  expeditions  of  the  Cortereals, 
which  with  those  of  the  Cabots  next  claim  notice. 


CHAPTER   IX 

DISCOVERIES  OF  THE  CABOTS  AND  THE  CORTEREALS 
IN  NORTH  AMERICA 

THE  fame  of  Columbus's  enterprise  had  fired  the  spirit 
of  princes  and  adventurers  in  the  maritime  nations  of 
Europe.  If  the  actual  results  obtained  by  the  admiral's 
discoveries  fell  short  of  his  expectations  and  the  hopes  of 
his  royal  patrons,  more  than  enough  had  been  accomplished 
to  rend  the  mist  of  ignorance  that  had  so  long  hung  over 
cosmographical  science;  and  what  was  still  more  inciting, 
the  actual  existence  of  habitable  and  inhabited  lands,  full 
of  promise  of  vast  wealth,  had  been  conclusively  demon 
strated,  and  such  tangible  evidences  obtained  of  their  richness 
that  there  was  no  longer  room  to  doubt  their  possibilities  for 
empire  building  and  as  fields  for  enterprise.  Even  through 
the  casual  and  limited  intercourse  that  Columbus  had  ob 
tained  with  the  natives  he  had  secured  gold,  that  most  al 
luring  inducement  to  European  monarchs  and  adventurers. 
Moreover,  there  was  proof  of  rich  vegetable  products,  a 
glorious  climate,  fine  harbors,  commodious  and  practicable 
rivers — everything,  in  fact,  to  create  visions  of  a  New  World 
worth  mighty  efforts  to  secure.  The  spirit  of  emulation 
was  stirred,  eager  aspirants  for  fame  and  wealth  were  ready 
to  follow  in  the  path  that  Columbus  had  lighted.  These 
now  urged  their  plans  of  discovery  and  possession  on  more 
willing  listeners  than  formerly ;  among  them,  the  most  note 
worthy  seeker  of  a  western  ocean  course  to  the  rich  lands 
of  the  Orient  was  soliciting  the  patronage  of  the  English 

297 


298  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORA riON 

king;  while  another  was  urging  at  the  court  of  Portugal  a 
less  ambitious  project  of  western  discovery,  if  not  a  less 
practical  one. 

Although  the  Pope  had  divided  all  prospective  discoveries 
between  the  Kings  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  it  was  not  possi 
ble  that  England,  under  such  a  king  as  Henry  VII.,  should 
long  remain  out  of  these  western  enterprises ;  it  was  in  the 
reign  of  this  monarch  that  the  seeds  were  sown  of  that 
national  spirit  and  policy  which  were  eventually  to  ripen 
into  English  colonial  and  commercial  supremacy.  Of 
Henry,  Bacon  says  that  he  was  "a  wonder  for  wise  men." 
"  In  that  part,  both  of  justice  and  policy,  which  is  the  most 
durable  part,  and  cut,  as  it  were,  in  brass  or  marble,  the 
making  of  good  laws,  he  did  excel."  He  enjoyed  high  pres 
tige  among  the  other  rulers  of  Europe,  and  his  opinions  were 
regarded  by  them  with  as  great  respect  as  his  actions 
were  looked  for  with  watchful  interest.  His  policy  was 
far-reaching,  and  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  affairs 
of  other  governments  frequently  astonished  the  ambassadors 
and  the  foreigners  who  surrounded  his  court.  He  was  a 
lover  of  learning  and  a  patron — though  not  a  generous  one 
— of  scholars.  Above  all,  his  mind  was  alert  to  the  wisdom 
of  encouraging  geographical  investigation  and  commercial 
adventure.  For  these  reasons,  the  news  of  the  discoveries 
by  Columbus  was  not  received  anywhere  with  keener  in 
terest  than  at  the  court  of  Henry  VII.  Indeed,  as  we 
have  seen,  it  was  possibly  only  an  accident  which  prevented 
the  Genoese  mariner  from  being  sent  out  by  Henry  of  Eng 
land.  If  Bartholomew  Columbus  had  not  fallen  among  the 
pirates,  it  is  possible  that  a  message  from  the  English  court 
reaching  Christopher  Columbus  at  a  time  when  his  hope 
of  patronage  from  Spain  was  at  its  lowest  ebb  might  have 
resulted  in  Henry's  taking  the  place  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella. 

In  the  fifteenth  century,  London  welcomed  foreigners, 
among  whom  were  many  Italians  holding  important  offices  at 
court ;  and  the  banking  houses  of  Lombard  Street,  conducted 


CABOrs  AND  THE  CO  RTE  REALS 


299 


by  men  of  this  nationality,  were  the  rendezvous  of  visitors 
from  the  different  Italian  republics.  Among  these  men 
Messer  Zoanne  Caboto,  the  Venetian  mariner,  found  many 
of  his  compatriots.  For  years  he  earnestly  advocated  an 
expedition  in  search  of  a  northwest  passage  to  India;  but 
it  was  not  until  the  news  reached  the  court  of  Henry  VII. 
that  Christopher  Columbus  had  indeed  attained  the  lands 
of  the  Great  Khan  by  a  voyage  across  the  western  sea  that 
John  Cabot  secured  King  Henry's  permission  to  set  out  on 
such  a  voyage  in  behalf  of  England.  The  following  is  the 
form  of  the  petition  which  was  presented : 

"To  the  kyng  our  souvereigne  lord 

"  Please  it  your  highnes  of  your  moste  noble  and  haboun- 
dant  grace  to  graunt  unto  John  Cabotto,  citezen  of  Venes, 
Lewes,  Sebestyan  and  Sancto  his  sonneys  your  gracious 
lettres  patentes  under  your  grete  scale  in  due  forme  to  be 
made  according  to  the  tenour  hereafter  ensuying.  And 
they  shall  during  their  lyves  pray  to  god  for  the  prosperous 
continuance  of  your  moste  noble  and  royale  astate  long 
to  enduer." 

On  this,  Henry  Harrisse,  in  his  Discovery  of  North  America, 
says:  "We  infer  from  the  expression:  'according  to  the 
tenour  hereafter  ensuying'  that  a  draft  of  the  letters  patent 
was  added  by  the  Cabots  themselves  to  the  petition,  just 
as  in  certain  pleadings  American  lawyers  add  the  order  or 
decree  which  they  beg  the  judge  to  grant.  In  that  case, 
the  letters  patent  first  published  by  Rymer,  in  1741,  set 
forth  in  the  Cabots'  own  words  their  purpose  and  wishes, 
viz.:  'Upon  their  own  proper  costs  and  charges  to  seek 
out,  discover,  and  find  whatsoever  isles,  countries,  regions, 
or  provinces  of  the  heathen  or  infidels,  whatsoever  they  be, 
and  in  what  part  of  the  world  soever  they  be,  which  before 
this  time  have  been  unknown  to  all  Christians.' ' 

It  was  also  stipulated  that  the  petitioners,  on  their  return 
from  each  and  every  voyage,  should  land  at  Bristol,  and 


300 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


that  they  should  pay  into  the  king's  treasury  one-fifth  of 
all  their  gain;  they  and  their  heirs  and  assigns  to  have  the 
exclusive  right  of  voyaging  to  the  countries  discovered  and 
trading  with  them.  Seeing  that  Cabot  and  his  sons  were 
to  provide  all  the  cost  of  the  expedition,  it  would  seem 
as  if  it  were  a  very  small  thing  for  the  English  king  to 
grant  such  a  petition.  Nevertheless,  when  we  consider  the 
monopoly  of  gain  secured  to  them  in  the  lands  they  might 
discover,  and  the  fact  that  such  monopolies  were  held  to 
be  the  exclusive  right  of  the  Crown,  the  fitting  out  of  the 
expedition  under  such  circumstances  does  not  seem  to 
illustrate  so  clearly  the  parsimony  of  the  king. 

The  news  of  Cabot's  undertaking  was  received  at  the 
court  of  Spain  with  great  interest,  especially  in  view  of 
the  exclusive  grant  which  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  had  re 
ceived  from  the  Pope.  In  a  letter  to  their  ambassador  in 
England,  Gonzales  de  Pueblo,  referring  to  his  communica 
tion  to  them,  they  write : 

"You  say  that  a  person  like  Colon  has  come  there  to 
place  before  the  king  of  England  another  undertaking  simi 
lar  to  that  of  the  Indies,  without  prejudice  to  Spain  or 
Portugal.  If  in  this  way  he  helps  him,  he  will  be  as  free 
to  go  to  the  Indies  as  we  were.  We  believe  that  this 
undertaking  is  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  king  of  England 
by  the  king  of  France  in  order  to  withdraw  him  from  his 
other  affairs.  See  that  the  king  of  England  be  not  deceived 
in  this  or  in  any  similar  matter.  The  French  will  endeavor 
as  best  they  can  to  lead  him  into  such  enterprises,  inas 
much  as  they  are  very  uncertain,  and  are  not  easily  prose 
cuted.  .  .  .  He  is  not  able  to  undertake  this  thing 
without  prejudice  to  us  and  the  king  of  Portugal." 

As  to  the  identity  of  this  "person  like  Colon,"  there  is 
a  peculiar  passage  in  the  despatch  sent  by  Pedro  de1  Ayala 
to  their  Spanish  majesties  from  the  court  of  Henry  VII. 
on  July  25,  1498,  relating  to  the  reception  of  the  news  of 
Columbus's  discoveries :  "  For  the  last  seven  years,  Bristol 
people  had  sent  out  every  year,  two,  three,  or  four  caravels 


THE  CABOrs  AND  THE  CORTEREALS  301 

in  search  of  the  island  of  Brazil  and  the  Seven  Cities, 
according  to  the  fancy  of  this  Genoese."  From  other 
sources  we  learn  that  the  Genoese  referred  to  was  none 
other  than  John  Cabot,  who  was  born  in  Genoa,  but  had 
become  a  citizen  of  Venice.  From  this  it  is  to  be  inferred 
that  from  the  year  1491,  consequently  before  Columbus's 
first  voyage,  John  Cabot,  with  the  aid  of  Bristol  shipowners, 
had  been  endeavoring  to  prosecute  western  discoveries.  This 
indicates  that  if  he  had  been  successful  in  his  attempts  the 
honor  of  first  discovering  transatlantic  lands  would  have 
fallen  to  England.  It  also  shows  how  ripe  and  how  gen 
erally  received  was  the  idea  of  sailing  westward  in  order 
to  reach  known  eastern  countries.  Cabot  himself  says 
that  when  in  Mecca  many  years  previous  he  had  seen  the 
caravans  loaded  with  spices,  and  was  told  that  they  had 
come  from  afar,  he  had  conceived  the  notion  that  the  place 
of  their  origin  was  a  land  which  could  be  quickest  reached 
by  the  west. 

The  petition  of  the  Cabots  was  granted  by  King 
Henry  VII.  on  the  5th  of  March,  1496,  but  a  year  elapsed 
before  they  were  able  to  secure  their  ships,  man  them,  and 
equip  them  for  the  voyage.  It  was  an  undertaking  in 
which,  though  many  were  interested,  few  were  willing  to 
adventure  their  persons  or  their  means.  Not  until  the 
spring  of  1497  ^id  Cabot  set  sail  from  the-  port  of  Bristol, 
and  then  only  with  two  small  vessels,  although  Harrisse, 
relying  upon  the  second  despatch  sent  by  Raimondo  di 
Soncino  to  the  Duke  of  Milan,  thinks  that  the  expedition 
consisted  originally  of  but  one  small  vessel  manned  by 
eighteen  men.  Laying  his  course  westward  from  Ireland, 
Cabot  reached  land  on  the  24th  of  June,  1497.  He  called 
the  place  of  his  landfall  "  First  Land  Seen,"  and  a  large 
island  near  by  he  named  "St.  John,"  it  being  discovered  on 
that  saint's  day.  Cabot,  being  fully  imbued  with  the  geo 
graphic  idea  of  his  time,  made  no  question  but  that  the 
country  he  had  discovered  was  the  much-looked-for  Cathay. 
The  following  description  of  the  voyage  was  written  in  a 


302  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

letter  by  Lorenzo  Pasqualigo,  from  London,  on  August  23, 
1497,  to  h*s  brothers  in  Venice: 

"The  Venetian,  our  countryman,  who  went  with  a  ship 
from  Bristol  to  search  for  a  new  island,  is  returned,  and 
says  that  seven  hundred  leagues  from  here  he  discovered 
firm  land  (terra  firma),  the  territory  of  the  Grand  Khan. 
He  coasted  for  three  hundred  leagues  and  landed;  saw  no 
human  beings,  but  he  has  brought  here  to  the  king  certain 
snares  which  had  been  set  to  catch  game,  and  a  needle  for 
making  nets ;  he  also  found  some  felled  trees,  by  which  he 
judged  there  were  inhabitants.  He  returned  to  his  ship  in 
doubt,  and  he  was  three  months  on  the  voyage,  and  on  his 
return  saw  two  islands  to  starboard,  but  would  not  land, 
time  being  precious,  as  he  was  short  of  provisions.  This 
has  greatly  pleased  the  king.  He  (Caboto)  says  that  the 
tides  are  slack  there  and  do  not  flow  as  they  do  here. 

"The  king  has  promised  him,  in  the  spring,  ten  ships, 
armed  to  his  order,  and  at  his  request  has  conceded  him  all 
the  prisoners,  except  those  confined  for  high  treason,  to 
man  his  fleet.  The  king  has  also  given  him  money  with 
which  he  may  amuse  himself  until  that  time,  and  he  is  now 
in  Bristol  with  his  sons  and  his  wife,  who  is  also  a  Vene 
tian.  His  name  is  Zuam  Calbot  and  he  is  called  the  great 
admiral.  Great  honor  is  paid  him;  he  dresses  in  silk,  and 
these  English  run  after  him  like  insane  people,  so  that  he 
can  enlist  as  many  of  them  as  he  pleases,  and  a  number  of 
our  own  rogues  besides. 

"The  discoverer  of  these  places  planted  on  this  newly 
found  land  a  large  cross,  with  one  flag  of  England,  and 
another  of  Saint  Mark,  on  account  of  his  being  a  Venetian, 
so  that  our  banner  has  floated  very  far  afield." 

A  better  and  more  lengthy  description  of  the  voyage  is 
that  given  in  a  letter  written  to  the  Duke  of  Milan  on 
the  i8th  of  September  by  the  above-mentioned  Raimondo 
di  Soncino: 


THE  CABOrs  AND  THE  CORrEREALS 


3°3 


u  Perhaps,  your  excellency  in  the  press  of  so  much  busi 
ness  will  not  be  disturbed  to  learn  that  his  majesty  [King 
Henry  VII.]  has  gained  a  part  of  Asia  without  a  stroke  of 
the  sword.  In  this  kingdom  is  a  popular  Venetian  called 
Messer  Zoanne  Caboto,  a  man  of  considerable  ability,  most 
skilful  in  navigation,  who,  having  seen  the  most  serene 
kings,  first  him  of  Portugal,  then  him  of  Spain,  that  they 
had  occupied  unknown  islands,  thought  to  make  a  similar 
acquisition  for  his  majesty  [the  King  of  England] .  And 
having  obtained  the  royal  privileges  which  gave  him  the  use 
of  the  land  found  by  him,  provided  the  right  of  possession 
was  reserved  to  the  Crown,  he  departed  in  a  little  ship,  from 
the  port  of  Bristol,  in  the  western  part  of  this  kingdom, 
with  eighteen  persons  who  placed  their  fortunes  with  him. 
Passing  Ibernia  [Ireland]  more  to  the  west  and  then  ascend 
ing  toward  the  north,  he  began  to  navigate  the  eastern  part 
of  the  ocean.  Leaving  (for  some  days)  the  north  to  the 
right  hand,  and  having  wandered  enough,  he  came  at  last  to 
firm  land,  where  he  planted  the  royal  banner,  took  possession 
for  his  highness,  made  certain  marks,  and  returned. 

"  The  said  Messer  Zoanne,  as  he  is  a  foreigner  and  poor, 
would  not  be  believed,  if  his  partners,  who  are  all  English 
men  and  from  Bristol,  did  not  testify  to  the  truth  of  what 
he  tells.  This  Messer  Zoanne  has  the  representation  of 
the  world  on  a  map,  and  also  on  a  globe,  which  he  has 
made,  and  he  shows  by  them  where  he  arrived,  and  going 
toward  the  east,  has  passed  much  of  the  country  of  the 
Tanais. 

"And  they  say  that  the  land  is  fertile  and  temperate,  and 
think  that  red-wood  grows  there,  and  the  silks,  and  they 
affirm  that  there  the  sea  is  full  of  fish  that  can  be  taken 
not  only  with  nets,  but  with  fishing-baskets,  a  stone  being 
placed  in  the  basket  to  sink  it  in  the  water,  and  this,  I  have 
said,  is  told  by  the  said  Messer  Zoanne. 

"And  the  said  Englishmen,  his  partners,  say  that  they 
can  bring  so  many  fish  that  this  kingdom  will  have  no  more 
business  with  Islanda  [Iceland],  and  that  from  that  country 


304  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

there  will  be  a  very  great  trade  in  the  fish  which  they  call 
stock-fish.  But  Messer  Zoanne  has  his  thoughts  directed 
to  a  greater  undertaking,  for  he  thinks  of  going,  after  this 
place  is  occupied,  along  the  coast  farther  toward  the  East 
until  he  is  opposite  the  island  called  Cipango,  situate  in  the 
equinoctial  region,  where  he  believes  all  the  spices  of 
the  world  grow,  and  where  there  are  also  gems.  And  he 
says  that  he  was  once  at  Mecca,  where  from  remote  coun 
tries  spices  are  carried  by  caravans,  and  that  those  carrying 
them  being  asked  where  those  spices  grew,  said  they  did 
not  know,  but  that  they  came  with  other  merchandise  from 
remote  countries  to  their  home  by  other  caravans,  and  that 
the  same  information  was  repeated  by  those  who  brought  the 
spices  in  turn  to  them.  And  he  argues  that  if  the  oriental 
people  tell  to  those  of  the  south  that  these  things  are  brought 
from  places  remote  from  them,  and  thus  from  hand  to  hand, 
presupposing  the  rotundity  of  the  earth,  it  follows  that  the 
last  carry  to  the  northern,  toward  the  west.  And  he  tells 
this  in  a  way  that  makes  it  quite  plain  to  me,  and  I  believe 
it.  And  what  is  a  greater  thing,  his  majesty,  who  is  learned 
and  not  prodigal,  places  confidence  in  what  he  says,  and  since 
his  return,  provides  well  for  him,  as  this  Messer  Zoanne 
tells  me. 

"And  in  the  spring  he  says  that  his  majesty  will  arm 
some  ships  and  will  give  him  all  the  criminals,  so  that  he 
may  go  to  this  country  and  plant  a  colony  there.  And  in 
this  way  he  hopes  to  make  London  a  greater  place  for 
spices  than  Alexandria.  And  the  principals  of  the  business 
are  citizens  of  Bristol,  great  mariners  that  now  know  where 
to  go.  They  say  that  the  voyage  will  not  take  more  than 
fifteen  days,  if  fortune  favors  them  after  leaving  Ibernia.  I 
have  talked  with  a  Burgundian,  a  companion  of  Messer 
Zoanne,  who  affirms  the  same,  and  who  is  willing  to  go, 
since  the  admiral,  as  Messer  Zoanne  is  already  styled,  has 
given  him  an  island,  and  has  also  given  another  to  his  bar 
ber,  a  Genoese,  and  they  regard  the  two  as  counts,  and  my 
lord,  the  admiral,  the  chief.  And  I  believe  that  some  poor 


.if 


THE  CABOTS  AND  THE  CORTEREALS  305 

Italian  friars  will  go  on  the  voyage,  who  have  the  promise 
of  being  bishops.  And  I,  being  a  friend  of  the  admiral,  if 
I  wished  to  go,  could  have  an  archbishopric." 

In  regard  to  the  extremely  interesting  question  as  to  what 
was  the  precise  locality  of  Cabot's  first  landfall  the  evidence 
is  exceedingly  meagre  and  vague,  and  from  the  slight  details 
given  us  in  regard  to  the  course  of  sailing  all  that  can 
be  inferred  is  that  it  was  somewhere  north  of  51°  15'  N. 
and  south  of  55°  15'  N.,  or,  roughly  speaking,  between 
the  northern  part  of  Newfoundland  and  somewhere  near  the 
middle  of  the  coast  of  Labrador.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  topographical  details  which  might  be  applied  to  any  part 
of  the  northern  coast  of  America.  The  best-supported  indi 
cations,  however,  seem  to  show  that  the  land  first  sighted 
by  Cabot  was  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  is 
now  known  as  Hamilton  Inlet,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
and  that  he  sailed  thence  north  to  Cape  Chudly,  and  then 
back  down  the  Labrador  coast,  across  Belle  Isle  Strait,  and 
along  the  east  coast  of  Newfoundland  to  Cape  Race. 

Soon  after  his  return,  John  Cabot  petitioned  the  king  to 
grant  him  letters  patent  for  the  fitting  out  of  another  expedi 
tion  to  more  fully  explore  the  lands  that  he  had  discovered. 
He  had  not  to  labor  long  in  gaining  this  request;  for  all 
England  stood  in  admiration  of  his  former  undertaking  and 
its  success;  and  Henry  VII.  was  willing  to  enlarge  his 
realm  by  whatever  possibilities  might  lie  across  the  Atlantic. 
The  letters  patent  were  issued  February  3,  1498.  On  this 
occasion  they  were  made  out  solely  to  John  Cabot,  his  sons' 
names  being  omitted.  It  is  important  to  notice  this  fact  in 
view  of  the  assertion  that  has  often  been  made  that  the 
voyage  was  undertaken  under  the  command  of  Sebastian 
Cabot.  Another  remarkable  feature  is  the  king's  granting 
to  Cabot  all  the  criminals  he  needed  to  man  his  ships  and  to 
colonize  the  newly  discovered  lands.  This  measure  was  not 
adopted  because  it  was  impossible  to  find  men  enough  who 
were  willing  to  go,  as  was  the  case  with  Columbus's  first 


306  DISCOFERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

voyage ;  rather  is  it  England  availing  herself,  on  her  earliest 
possession  of  an  opportunity  to  found  a  colony,  of  the  chance 
afforded  whereby  she  might  be  rid  of  undesirable  citizens. 

The  precise  date  on  which  Cabot  sailed  on  his  second 
voyage  is  not  ascertainable.  But  Pedro  de  Ayala,  in  his 
letter  written  from  London  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and 
dated  July  25,  1498,  says:  "I  think  your  Highnesses  have 
already  heard  that  the  king  of  England  has  equipped  a  fleet 
in  order  to  discover  certain  islands  and  firm  land,  which 
they  have  been  told  were  discovered  by  certain  persons  of 
Bristol,  who  fitted  out  some  ships  during  the  past  year  for 
the  same  purpose.  I  have  seen  the  map  which  the  dis 
coverer  has  made,  who  is  another  QenozssiJike  Colon,  and 
who  has  been  in  Seville  and  in  Lisbon  soliciting  aid  for  this 
undertaking.  .  .  .  The  king  determined  to  send  the 
fleet,  because  in  the  past  year  they  brought^ certain  news  of 
having  found  land.  The  fleet  consists  of  five  ships  that  car 
ried  provisions  for  one  year.  The  news  has  come  that  the 
vessel  in  which  Friar  Buil  went  has  returned  to  Ireland  in 
great  distress,  the  ship  being  leaky.  The  Genoese  has  con 
tinued  his  voyage.  I  have  seen  the  course  he  steered  and 
the  extent  of  it,  and  I  think  that  what  they  have  found,  or 
what  they  are  in  search  of,  is  what  your  Highnesses  already 
possess,  for  it  is  the  cape  which  was  given  to  your  High 
nesses  by  the  convention  with  Portugal.  It  is  expected 
that  they  will  return  toward  September.  I  write  this  be 
cause  the  king  of  England  has  spoken  to  me  on  the  sub 
ject,  and  he  thinks  that  your  Highnesses  will  be  greatly 
interested  in  it.  I  think  the  land  is  not  farther  distant  than 
four  hundred  leagues.  I  told  him  that  in  my  opinion  the 
land  was  already  in  the  possession  of  your  Highnesses,  and 
though  I  gave  my  reasons  he  did  not  like  them.  I  believe 
that  your  Highnesses  are  already  informed  of  this  matter, 
and  I  do  not  now  send  the  chart  or  map  of  the  world  which 
that  man  has  made,  for  in  my  opinion  it  is  false,  since  it 
makes  it  appear  as  if  the  land  in  question  were  not  the  said 
islands." 


THE  CABOrs  AND  rHE  CORTEREALS 


3°7 


Nothing  further  is  known  of  John  Cabot;  and  it  is  most 
probably  true  that  his  work  of  exploration  ended  with  this 
voyage.  History  gives  no  account  of  his  death.  It  has 
been  asserted  that  he  did  not  even  go  on  this  second  voyage, 
but  Harrisse  points  out,  and  accumulates  much  evidence  to 
support  his  contention,  that  Sebastian  Cabot  was  not  above 
arrogating  to  himself  the  honor  that  was  due  to  his  father; 
besides,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  letters  patent  were 
granted  to  John  Cabot  alone.  The  information  gained 
from  contemporary  sources  concerning  the  accomplishment 
of  Sebastian  is  far  from  satisfactory.  There  seems  to  be 
evidence  that  in  the  year  1499  ne  sailed  from  Bristol  with 
four  or  five  ships,  fitted  out  by  the  king  and  the  merchants 
of  London. — (Stow's  Chronicle  of  England.}  Nevertheless, 
Peter  Martyr  says  that  there  were  certain  Spaniards  who 
denied  that  Sebastian  Cabot  ever  sailed  westward.  This, 
however,  may  have  resulted  from  national  jealousy  over 
these  newly  discovered  domains.  Peter  Martyr  himself, 
who  was  a  contemporary  of  Sebastian  Cabot,  believes  that 
he  did  explore  what  was  known  as  "the  Bacallaos  country" 
(so  named  from  the  codfish — bacallaos — with  which  the 
seas  washing  the  coasts  of  Newfoundland  and  Labrador 
abound).  Martyr  writes  in  his  De  Orbe  Novo  Decades: 

"  He  fitted  out  two  ships  in  England  at  his  own  expense, 
and  with  three  hundred  men  steered  toward  the  north,  until 
in  July  he  found  vast  icebergs  floating  in  the  sea  and  almost 
perpetual  daylight,  though  on  the  land  the  snow  and  ice  had 
melted.  Therefore  he  was  compelled  to  turn  the  sails,  as 
he  says,  and  to  go  toward  the  west,  and  yet  he  held  to  the 
south,  the  shore  bending,  that  he  almost  reached  the  degree 
of  the  latitude  of  the  strait  of  Hercules,  and  proceeded  so 
far  to  the  west  that  he  may  have  had  the  island  of  Cuba 
on  his  left  hand,  being  almost  to  its  degree  of  longitude. 
Steering  along  this  coast,  which  he  called  Bacallaos,  he 
found,  as  he  says,  the  currents  of  the  sea  running  toward  the 
west,  but  gently  as  those  found  by  the  Spaniards,  navigating 


308  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

in  the  southern  waters.  It  is  not  only  likely  to  be  true, 
but  it  may  be  accepted  as  a  fact,  that  between  these 
regions  [Bacallaos  and  the  West  Indies]  there  is  a  great 
space  still  unexplored  that  offers  a  way  [to  the  East] ,  where 
the  water  flows  from  east  to  west.  These  currents,  I  think, 
are  made  to  flow  round  the  earth  by  the  impulsion  of  the 
heavens,  and  are  not  thrown  up  and  swallowed  again  by 
Demorgorgon  breathing.  Perhaps  they  may  be  caused,  as 
it  is  said,  by  influx  and  reflux. 

u Cabotto  himself  called  these  regions  Bacallaos  ('Bacal 
laos  Cabottus  ipse  terras  illas  appellavti),  because  in  the  sea 
there  he  found  great  shoals  of  certain  large  fish  resem 
bling  tunnies,  which  name  was  given  them  by  the  natives. 
These  fish  were  so  numerous  that  sometimes  they  retarded 
the  progress  of  his  ships.  He  found  the  people  of  these 
regions  covered  only  with  skins,  but  the  natives  were  not 
wholly  destitute  of  reason.  He  also  relates  that  in  these 
regions  there  is  a  great  number  of  bears  which  eat  fish. 
They  plunge  into  the  water  where  they  see  a  shoal  of  fish 
and  fasten  their  claws  between  the  scales  of  the  fish,  and  in 
this  way  convey  them  to  the  shore,  where  they  devour  them. 
The  hunger  of  the  bears  being  appeased,  they  do  not  annoy 
men.  He  declares  further  that  in  many  places  he  saw 
copper  [orichalcum]  among  the  natives." 

In  this  account,  however,  Peter  Martyr  is  simply  repeat 
ing  what  had  been  told  him  by  Sebastian  Cabot  himself, 
and,  as  Harrisse  shows,  this  navigator's  statements  about 
his  own  undertakings  are  not  altogether  trustworthy  unless 
corroborated.  Consequently,  it  is  not  certain  whether  the 
above  account  describes  what  was  done  and  seen  by  the  son 
or  by  the  father,  accompanied  by  Sebastian.  Still,  whether 
this  exploration  was  commanded  by  John  or  Sebastian,  it  is 
well  established  that  the  Cabots  extended  the  line  of  Eng 
lish  discovery  from  Labrador,  around  the  east  coast  of  New 
foundland,  by  Nova  Scotia,  and  down  the  American  coast  as 
far  south  as  Florida.  And  what  is  more,  to  John  Cabot  is 


THE  CABOrs  AND  THE  CORTEREALS  309 

due  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  discover  the  mainland 
of  America.  This  he  sighted  on  the  24th  of  June,  1497. 
It  was  in  August  of  the  following  year  that  Columbus  first 
came  in  sight  of  Paria;  and,  as  we  believe,  it  was  not  until 
the  year  1499  that  Amerigo  Vespucci  made  his  first  voyage 
to  the  west.  Sebastian  Cabot's  claim  that  he  voyaged  as 
far  to  the  south  as  Florida  is  questioned  by  the  Spanish  his 
torian  Gomara,  who  places  the  terminus  of  Cabot's  voyage 
at  thirty-eight  degrees  north  latitude.  He  says : 

u  But  he  who  made  this  land  more  widely  known  was 
Sebastian  Gaboto,  a  Venetian.  He  equipped  two  ships  in 
England  (he  having  been  taken  there  when  he  was  little — 
do  tratava  desde  pequeno)  at  the  cost  of  King  Henry  VII., 
who  desired  the  trade  in  spices  the  same  as  the  king  of 
Portugal.  Others  say  at  his  own  expense,  and  that  he 
promised  King  Henry  to  go  by  the  north  to  Cathay,  and  to 
bring  spices  there  in  less  time  than  the  Portuguese  from 
the  south.  He  also  went  to  see  if  there  was  any  land 
in  the  Indies  on  which  a  colony  might  be  settled.  He  took 
three  hundred  men  and  steered  a  course  by  the  way  of  Ice 
land,  above  the  Cape  of  Labrador,  going  as  far  as  fifty-eight 
degrees,  though ,  he  says  much  farther,  stating  that  in  the 
month  of  July  it  was  so  extremely  cold  and  that  there  were 
so  many  icebergs  floating  in  the  sea,  that  he  did  not  dare  to 
go  farther.  ...  So  Gaboto,  having  inspected  the  cold 
and  strange  country,  changed  his  course  to  the  south,  and 
returning  again  to  the  Bacalaos  (los  Bacalaos\  he  followed 
the  coast  as  far  as  thirty-eight  degrees,  and  then  returned 
to  England." 

Of  the  further  exploits  of  Sebastian  Cabot  and  the  re 
mainder  of  his  life  there  is  not  much  that  needs  to  be  said 
in  this  connection.  He  had  gained  for  himself  great  fame 
and  respect.  Harrisse  is  of  the  opinion  that  he  furthered 
his  own  interest  by  sedulously  cultivating  in  the  minds 
of  the  governors  of  England  and  Spain  an  unwarranted 


3io 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


belief  that  he  knew  of  a  northern  passage  to  Asia.  To 
discover  this  he  was  placed  in  command,  in  1517,  of  an 
English  expedition,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  entrance 
to  Hudson's  Bay.  In  1518,  he  was  made  Grand  Pilot  of 
Spain,  but  eventually  returned  to  England,  where  he  died 
in  1557. 

The  exploration  of  North  America  was  continued  by 
Portugal.  Although  Da  Gama  had  succeeded  in  reaching 
India  by  rounding  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  Portuguese 
could  not  rest  satisfied  with  the  accomplishment  of  this 
long-sought  purpose,  in  view  of  the  discoveries  being  made 
by  Spain  in  the  west.  Consequently,  in  May,  1500,  letters 
patent  were  granted  by  King  Manoel  to  Gaspar  Cortereal. 
In  them  occurs  the  following  notable  passage  : 

"Whereas  Gasper  Corte-Real,  a  nobleman  of  ours,  for 
merly  did  make  great  efforts,  of  his  own  free  will  and  at 
his  own  cost,  with  vessels  and  men,  spending  his  fortune, 
and  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  to  discover  islands  and  a  conti 
nent;  and  that,  hoping  to  succeed,  he  desires  at  present 
to  continue  and  do  everything  possible  to  find  the  said  isles 
and  continent.  Now  therefore,"  etc. 

The  indication  is  that  Gaspar  Cortereal  had  for  some 
time  been  engaged  in  the  endeavor  to  make  explorations  in 
the  west.  Of  the  nature  of  these  and  their  results,  if  any, 
nothing  is  told  us.  This  discoverer  was  born  some  time 
about  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century;  but  of  his  early 
life  we  know  nothing.  In  1480  we  find  him  in  Terceira, 
one  of  the  Azores.  Here  he  could  not  help  being  imbued 
with  enthusiasm  regarding  oceanic  discovery;  for,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  Azores  being  the  outposts  of  the  Old  World, 
their  inhabitants  were  most  keenly  susceptible  to  the  casual 
indications  of  unknown  western  lands  and  the  resulting 
desire  to  find  them.  Cortereal  does  not  seem  to  have  ac 
complished  much  on  his  first  voyage.  It  is  probable  that 
his  landfall  was  somewhere  near  Notre  Dame  Bay,  in  New 
foundland  ;  and  he  may  have  coasted  as  far  as  the  southeast 
extremity  of  that  island.  Of  this  expedition  Ramusio  says: 


THE  CABOrs  AND   THE  CORTEREALS  311 

"  In  the  part  of  the  New  World  which  runs  toward  the 
north  and  northwest,  opposite  our  habitable  part  of  Europe, 
many  captains  have  navigated,  and  the  first  (by  that  which 
one  knows)  was  Caspar  Cortereal,  a  Portuguese,  who,  in 
1500,  went  with  two  caravels,  intending  to  find  some  strait 
of  the  sea  whence  by  a  shorter  voyage  than  that  taken  around 
Africa  he  would  be  able  to  go  to  the  Spice  Islands.  He 
sailed  so  far  forward  that  he  came  to  a  place  where  it 
was  extremely  cold,  and  he  found,  in  the  latitude  of  sixty 
degrees,  a  river  closed  with  snow,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name,  calling  it  Rio  Nevado.  But  he  had  not  sufficient 
courage  to  pass  much  beyond  it.  The  whole  of  this  coast, 
which  runs  two  hundred  leagues  from  Rio  Nevado  as  far 
as  to  the  port  of  I^Jalyas,  in  fifty-six  degrees,  he  saw  full 
of  people  and  along  it  many  dwellings." 

Ramusio^  evidently,  was  not  aware  of  the  discoveries 
made  by  the  Cabots  in  that  region. 

In  the  spring  of  1501,  Caspar  Cortereal  and  his  brother 
Miguel  sailed  with  a  new  expedition,  in  two  ships.  On 
this  voyage  they  seem  to  have  first  reached  land  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  Greenland.  A  map  was  made  at 
Lisbon  in  1502,  which  sets  forth  the  discoveries  of  the  Cor- 
tereals  in  1501.  This  shows  a  great  promontory,  which, 
though  placed  too  far  to  the  north,  is  evidently  intended 
for  Greenland.  Inscribed  on  the  scroll  ornamenting  the 
map  are  the  words :  "  This  land,  which  was  discovered 
by  order  of  the  most  excellent  Prince  Dom  Manoel,  King 
of  Portugal,  is  that  end  of  Asia.  Those  who  made  the  dis 
covery  did  not  go  ashore,  but  saw  the  land,  and  remarked 
nothing  but  very  abrupt  mountains.  That  is  the  reason 
why,  following  the  opinion  of  cosmographers,  it  is  believed 
to  be  the  extremity  of  Asia." 

Pasqualigo,  writing  to  his  brothers,  October  19,  1501, 
from  the  court  of  Portugal,  where  he  then  was  ambassador, 
says :  "  On  the  8th  of  the  present  month,  one  of  the  two 
caravels  which  his  most  serene  majesty  sent  the  past  year 


312  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

under  the  command  of  Caspar  Corterat,  arrived  here,  and 
reports  the  finding  of  a  country  distant  west  and  northwest 
two  thousand  miles,  heretofore  quite  unknown. 

"They  ran  along  the  coast  between  six  hundred  and 
seven  hundred  miles  without  arriving  at  its  termination,  on 
which  account  they  concluded  it  to  be  the  same  continent 
that  is  connected  with  another  land  which  was  discovered 
last  year  in  the  north,  but  which  the  caravel  could  not  reach 
on  account  of  the  ice  and  the  vast  quantity  of  snow,  and 
they  are  confirmed  in  this  belief  by  the  multitude  of  great 
rivers  they  found,  which  certainly  could  not  proceed  from 
an  island.  They  report  that  this  land  is  thickly  peopled, 
and  that  the  houses  are  built  of  very  long  beams  of  tim 
ber,  and  covered  with  the  skins  of  fishes.  They  have 
brought  hither  along  with  them  seven  of  the  inhabitants, 
including  men,  women,  and  children;  and  in  the  other 
caravel,  which  is  looked  for  every  hour,  they  are  bringing 
fifty  more.  These  people,  in  color,  figure,  stature,  and 
expression,  greatly  resemble  gypsies.  They  are  clothed 
with  the  skins  of  different  beasts,  but  chiefly  of  the  otter, 
wearing  the  hair  outside  in  summer,  and  next  to  the  skin 
in  winter.  These  skins,  too,  are  not  sewed  together,  nor 
shaped  to  the  body  in  any  fashion,  but  wrapped  around 
the  arms  and  shoulders  as  they  were  taken  from  the  ani 
mals.  .  .  .  On  this  account  their  appearance  is  wholly 
barbarous;  yet  they  are  very  sensible  to  shame,  gentle  in 
their  manners,  and  better  made  in  their  arms,  legs,  and 
shoulders  than  can  be  expressed.  Their  faces  are  punc 
tured  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Indians;  some  have  six 
marks,  some  eight,  some  fewer.  They  use  a  language  of 
their  own,  but  it  is  understood  by  no  one.  Moreover,  I 
believe  that  every  possible  language  has  been  addressed  to 
them.  They  have  no  iron  in  their  country,  but  manufacture 
knives  out  of  certain  kinds  of  stones,  with  which  they  point 
their  arrows. 

"They  have  also  brought  from  this  island  a  piece  of  a 
broken  sword  inlaid  with  gold,  which  we  can  pronounce 


THE  CABOrs  AND  THE  CORTEREALS  313 

undoubtedly  to  have  been  made  in  Italy;  and  one  of  the 
children  had  in  his  ears  two  pieces  of  silver,  which  likewise 
appear  to  have  been  made  in  Venice,  a  circumstance  in 
ducing  me  to  believe  that  their  country  belongs  to  the  con 
tinent,  since  it  is  evident  that  if  it  were  an  island  where 
any  vessel  had  touched  before  this  time  we  should  have 
heard  of  it. 

"  They  have  plenty  of  salmon,  herring,  cod,  and  other 
fish  of  the  same  kind.  They  have  an  abundance  of  timber, 
principally  pine,  fitted  for  masts  and  yards  of  ships,  on 
which  account  his  serene  majesty  anticipates  the  greatest 
profit  from  this  country,  both  in  providing  timber  for  ships, 
of  which  he,  at  present,  stands  in  great  need,  and  from  the 
men  that  inhabit  it,  who  appear  admirably  fitted  to  endure 
labor,  and  will  probably  be  the  best  slaves  which  have  been 
found  up  to  this  time. 

"  This  arrival  appeared  to  me  to  be  an  event  of  which 
it  was  right  to  inform  you;  and  if  on  the  arrival  of  the 
other  caravel  I  receive  any  additional  information,  it  shall 
be  transmitted  to  you  in  like  manner." 

The  other  caravel  was  awaited  in  vain ;  and  in  May,  1502, 
Miguel  Cortereal  sailed  from  Lisbon  with  three  ships,  to 
search  for  his  brother.  In  the  letters  patent  granted  him 
by  King  Manoel  he  was  to  own  all  the  continent  and  islands 
which  he  might  discover  that  year.  Of  this  voyage  we 
know  no  more  than  that  it  was  unsuccessful  and  entirely 
disastrous  to  the  Cortereals.  All  our  information  is  con 
tained  in  the  following  account  by  Antonio  Galvam: 

"In  this  same  year  1500  it  is  said  that  Caspar  Corte 
real  begged  permission  of  King  Manoel  to  discover  a  New 
Land  [Terra  Nova\.  He  departed  from  the  island  of 
Terceira  with  two  ships  equipped  at  his  own  expense,  and 
he  sailed  to  that  region  which  is  in  the  north  in  fifty  degrees 
of  latitude,  which  is  a  land  now  called  after  his  name.  He 
returned  home  in  safety  to  the  city  of  Lisbon.  Sailing  a 
second  time  on  this  voyage  the  ship  was  lost  in  which  he 


314  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

went,  and  the  other  vessel  came  back  to  Portugal.  His 
brother  Miguel  went  to  seek  him  with  three  ships  at  his 
own  cost,  and  when  they  came  to  that  coast,  and  found  so 
many  entrances  of  rivers  and  havens,  each  ship  entered  a 
different  river,  with  this  regulation  and  command,  that  they 
all  three  should  meet  again  on  the  twentieth  of  August. 
The  other  two  ships  did  as  commanded,  and  they  seeing 
that  Miguel  Cortereal  came  not  on  the  appointed  day  nor 
afterward  in  a  certain  time,  returned  to  this  realm  and  never 
heard  anything  more  concerning  him.  .  .  .  But  that 
country  is  called  Terra  dos  Cortereals  unto  this  day." 

Although  the  expeditions  of  the  Cortereals  had  resulted 
in  the  acquisition  of  important  knowledge  of  an  extensive 
coast  line  of  North  America, — including  within  its  course 
some  of  the  land  already  discovered  by  Cabot, — and  an  ac 
quaintance  with  the  inhabitants,  they  were  most  disastrous; 
for,  as  we  have  seen,  both  brave  discoverers  lost  their  lives. 
This  event,  however,  did  not  deter  the  eldest  brother, 
Vasque  Anes,  from  proposing  to  embark  in  search  of  them, 
but  King  Manoel  refused  his  consent  to  this  undertaking. 
The  pioneer  transatlantic  discoveries  of  the  Portuguese 
were  thus  clouded  with  melancholy,  and  further  efforts  in 
this  direction  checked.  Great  as  Portugal  had  become 
through  the  discoveries  due  to  Prince  Henry  which  had 
added  many  Atlantic  island  jewels  to  the  Portuguese  crown, 
how  much  greater  lustre  and  glory  would  have  been  hers 
had  her  monarch  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  Columbus 
before  he  negotiated  with  the  Spanish  sovereign ! 


CHAPTER  X 

SPANISH  EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 

THE  seeds  of  discovery  planted  by  Columbus  in  the 
New  World  had  thriven  wondrously  for  Spain.  Settlements 
were  already  springing  up  and  new  fields  were  attracting 
her  hardy  adventurers.  From  a  weak  congeries  of  prov 
inces  that  constituted  the  kingdom  of  Spain  prior  to  the 
close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  this  nation — to-day  but  a 
dwindling,  third-rate  power — had,  through  the  tireless  en 
ergy  of  her  navigators  and  explorers,  gained  an  ascendency 
in  America  that  made  her  the  chief  world  power  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  Hitherto  the  work  had  been  one  of 
discovery;  henceforth  exploration  was  also  to  engage  the 
enterprise  of  the  Spaniards.  Already  Spain's  acquisitions 
in  the  newly  found  continent  had  poured  into  her  cities  a 
wealth  which  until  that  time  had  only  been  dreamed  of  in 
Europe;  and  the  work  of  exploration  trained  her  sons  in 
that  habit  of  ambitious  enterprise,  looking  to  territorial  ex 
pansion,  by  which  in  those  days  a  nation  was  enlarged  as 
it  is  in  these  times  by  the  extension  of  its  commerce. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  now  to  comprehend  all  the  puz 
zling  questions  and  wild  anticipations  with  which  the  dis 
covery  of  the  transatlantic  continent  filled  men's  minds. 
Nor  is  it  easy  for  us  to  keep  in  view  the  fact  that  for  a 
long  time  the  explorers  and  geographers  could  not  decide 
what  was  that  land  which  they  had  found.  Was  it  Asia 
and  the  long-looked-for  and  much-speculated-upon  Cathay  ? 
This  notion,  so  deeply  rooted  in  the  minds  of  the  earliest 


316  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

voyagers,  was  exceedingly  tenacious.  Consequently,  the 
hope  of  finding  a  way  to  the  wealth  of  India  and  the  East 
survived  until  the  gold  of  Mexico  and  Peru  satisfied  other 
than  geographical  interests.  And  as  the  idea  grew  more 
apparent  that  the  lands  discovered  belonged  to  a  world 
hitherto  unknown  to  Europe  or  its  ancient  philosophers, 
there  was  no  limit  to  the  speculations  as  to  what  might  be 
discovered  within  its  bounds.  Human  thought  was  thrown 
so  far  out  of  its  usual  grooves  that,  even  by  reasonable  men, 
anticipations  based  on  the  subversion  of  well-known  natural 
laws  were  cherished.  Thus  in  no  other  period  of  human 
history  was  there  such  a  fascinating  field  of  adventure 
thrown  open.  Every  inducement  was  offered  by  which  men 
are  persuaded  to  risk  life  and  fortune.  For  the  avaricious 
there  was  the  hope  of  acquiring  wealth  on  which  the  imagi 
nation  needed  to  place  no  limit.  For  the  curious  there 
were  all  the  wondrous  possibilities  which  a  vast,  new,  and 
unexplored  world  might  provide.  And  for  all  there  was 
that  motive  which  in  the  sixteenth  century  was  of  most 
mighty  force — glory. 

Thus  influenced,  the  navigators  of  various  nations,  but 
chiefly  those  of  Spain,  had  by  the  year  1512  extended  the 
line  of  discovery  from  the  frozen  shores  of  Labrador  in 
the  north  to  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  in  the  south.  The  West 
India  and  Caribbean  Islands  had  been  explored  and  to  some 
degree  settled.  Nunez  de  Balboa,  who  a  year  hence  was 
to  cross  the  isthmus  and  from  a  peak  of  the  Andes  see  for 
the  first  time  with  European  eyes  the  Pacific,  was  engaged 
in  colonizing  Darien.  But  though  the  mariners  had  out 
lined  so  much  of  the  eastern  coast  of  the  continent,  there 
were  vast  regions  which  had  not  yet  been  explored;  and 
the  maps  and  sailing  charts  gave  little  more  than  the  great 
promontories,  and  other  indications  which  were  largely  of 
the  nature  of  suppositions.  The  interior  of  the  continent 
was  still  unexplored. 

Cabo/  very  probably  had  reached  the  southern  extremity 
of  Florida;  but  he  had  not  even  landed  on  its  shores.  To 


EXPLORAriON  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO          317 

Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  must  be  ascribed  the  glory  of  being 
the  first  explorer  of  what  for  many  years  was  known  as  the 
Isle  of  Florida. 

Ponce  de  Leon  was  born  in  Spain  about  the  year  1460. 
In  1493,  ne  sailed  with  Columbus  to  Hispaniola,  and  under 
Ovando  became  governor  of  the  eastern  province  of  that 
island.  In  1508,  he  went  to  Porto  Rico,  which  he  ex 
plored  and  partially  conquered,  and  became,  in  1510,  its 
governor.  In  1513,  inspired  by  one  of  those  phantasmagoric 
ideas  concerning  the  New  World  to  which  we  have  alluded, 
he  went  in  search  of  the  island  of  Bimini,  where  he  was 
led  to  believe  was  situated  the  miraculous  spring  of  which 
Herrera  speaks  in  the  following  brief  account : 

"Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  besides  intending  to  make  new 
discoveries,  as  all  the  Spaniards  at  that  time  aspired  to  do, 
was  also  intent  on  finding  the  fountain  of  Bimini  and  a 
river  in  Florida;  the  Indians  of  Cuba  and  Espaiiola  affirm 
ing  that  old  people  bathing  themselves  in  them  became 
young  again,  and  it  was  a  fact  that  many  Indians  of  Cuba, 
firmly  believing  that  there  was  such  a  stream,  had  found 
that  island  not  long  before  the  Spaniards,  and  had  passed 
over  to  Florida  in  search  of  the  river,  and  there  built  a 
town,  where  their  descendants  reside  to  this  day.  This 
report  so  affected  all  the  princes  and  caciques  in  those  parts 
that  it  was  a  hobby  to  find  a  river  which  wrought  such  a 
wonderful  change  as  made  old  people  young,  so  that  there 
was  not  a  river,  or  a  brook,  scarcely  a  lake  or  a  puddle,  in 
all  Florida,  in  which  they  did  not  bathe  themselves." 

This  island  was  supposed  to  lie  somewhere  to  the  north 
of  Cuba.  In  1511,  Peter  Martyr  wrote  of  it  to  the  Pope  in 
the  following  words :  "  There  is  an  island  about  three  hun 
dred  and  twenty-five  leagues  from  Espanola,  as  they  say  who 
have  searched  for  it,  named  Boiucam,  or  Aguaneo,  on  which 
is  a  never-failing  spring  of  running  water  of  such  marvellous 
efficacy  that  when  the  water  is  drunk,  perhaps,  with  some 


3i 8  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

attention  to  diet,  it  makes  old  people  young  again.  And 
here  I  must  beg  your  holiness  not  to  think  that  this  is  said 
jestingly  or  thoughtlessly,  for  they  have  reported  it  every 
where  as  a  fact,  so  that  not  only  all  the  common  people, 
but  also  the  educated  and  the  wealthy  believe  it  to  be  true." 
To  Ponce  de  Leon  the  discovery  of  this  spring  of  peren 
nial  life  seemed  more  desirable  than  the  finding  of  mines 
of  gold — that  chief  end  of  Spanish  exploration.  It  is  un 
fortunate  that  we  possess  but  little  information  regarding 
the  incidents  of  his  expedition,  the  places  where  he  landed, 
or  the  country  he  traversed.  It  is  known,  however,  that 
he  sailed  from  Porto  Rico,  with  three  vessels,  on  the  3d  of 
March,  1513.  Herrera,  continuing  his  brief  account  of  the 
voyage,  says: 

"  On  Sunday,  the  twenty-seventh  of  March,  the  day  of 
the  Feast  of  the  Resurrection,  commonly  called  the  Feast 
of  Flowers,  they  saw  an  island  and  passed  by  it.  On  Mon 
day,  the  twenty-eighth,  they  steered  in  the  same  direction, 
fifteen  leagues,  until  Wednesday,  when  the  weather  became 
foul.  They  then  stood  W.  N.  W.  until  the  second  of 
April.  The  water  grew  shallower  until  they  came  into  nine 
fathoms,  a  league  from  the  land,  which  was  in  thirty  degrees 
and  eight  minutes.  Thinking  this  land  was  an  island,  they 
called  it  La  Florida,  because  it  had  a  very  pretty  landscape 
of  many  green  groves,  and  it  was  level  and  regular,  and 
because  they  discovered  it  at  the  time  of  the  Floral  Feast. 
Juan  Ponce  wished  the  name  to  conform  to  these  two 
facts.  He  went  on  land  to  learn  the  language  and  to  take 
possession. 

u  On  Friday,  the  eighth,  they  sailed  again  the  same  way, 
and  on  Saturday,  S.  by  E.,  until  the  twentieth,  when  they 
saw  some  Indian  huts  from  the  place  where  they  had  cast 
anchor.  The  next  day  the  three  ships  sailed  along  the 
coast  and  entered  a  current  which  was  so  swift  that  it 
drove  them  back,  although  they  had  the  wind  strong.  The 
two  ships,  near  the  land,  dropped  their  anchors,  but  the 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 

force  of  the  stream  was  so  great  that  it  strained  the  cables. 
The  third  vessel,  a  brigantine,  being  farther  out,  either  found 
no  bottom  or  was  not  sensible  of  the  current,  which  carried 
her  so  far  from  the  shore  that  they  lost  sight  of  her,  although 
the  day  was  bright  and  the  weather  fine. 

"Juan  Ponce,  being  called  by  the  Indians,  went  ashore, 
and  the  latter  at  once  undertook  to  possess  themselves  of 
the  boat,  the  oars,  and  the  arms.  This  was  tolerated  till 
one  of  the  Indians  stunned  a  sailor  with  a  stroke  of  a 
cudgel  on  the  heacj*  when  the  Spaniards  were  compelled  to 
fight.  They  had  two  of  their  men  wounded  with  darts 
and  arrows  pointed  with  sharp  bones,  and  the  Indians  re 
ceived  little  injury.  Night  parting  them,  Juan  Ponce  with 
considerable  difficulty  got  his  men  together  and  sailed  thence 
to  a  river,  where  they  wooded  and  watered,  and  waited  for 
the  brigantine.  Sixty  Indians  came  to  attack  them,  one  of 
whom  was  taken  to  give  information  and  to  learn  the  Span 
ish  language.  The  river  they  called  Rio  de  la  Cruz  [River 
of  the  Cross] ,  planting  there  a  stone  cross  bearing  an  in 
scription." 

In  a  map  now  preserved  at  Seville,  and  made  in  the  year 
1519,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  shown,  and  a  peninsula  with 
the  inscription :  "  Florida,  said  to  be  Bimini,  which  was 
discovered  by  Juan  Ponce."  Ortubia,  one  of  De  Leon's 
lieutenants,  soon  afterward  reported  that  he  had  found  the 
island  of  Bimini,  but  could  give  no  account  of  the  life- 
giving  spring.  Ponce  de  Leon  was  afterward  appointed 
adelantado  of  Bimini  and  Florida.  In  the  year  1521, 
aroused  to  emulation  by  the  successful  operations  of  Cortes 
in  Mexico,  he  again  sailed  to  Florida,  with  the  intention 
of  colonizing  the  territory.  But  he  encountered  a  warlike 
people,  who  were  disposed  to  resist  the  intrusion  of  the 
Spaniard.  De  Leon  and  his  men  were  driven  with  much 
loss  to  their  ships ;  the  former  was  wounded  by  an  arrow 
and  shortly  after  died  in  Cuba;  and  thus  was  ended  his 
quest  for  the  fount  of  perennial  youth. 


320  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Early  in  the  year  1517,  Hernandez  de  Cordova,  a  Spanish 
officer  in  Cuba,  sailed  with  three  vessels  on  an  expedition 
among  the  Bahamas  to  capture  slaves.  He  was  driven  out 
of  his  course  by  adverse  winds,  and  at  the  end  of  three 
weeks  found  himself  near  an  unknown  coast.  This  was 
the  country  which  became  known  as  Yucatan.  A  popular 
story  explains  the  origin  of  the  name  thus :  On  landing,  the 
Spaniards  endeavored  to  learn  from  the  natives  the  name 
of  the  land.  The  reply  they  received  was  "Tectelan"; 
a  word  meaning  "  I  do  not  understand  you."  But  the 
Spaniards  accepted  it  as  the  proper  information  they  were 
seeking.  Diaz,  however,  as  we  shall  see,  gives  the  name 
another  derivation.  Cordova  found  here  the  first  sign  of 
that  civilization  which  so  wonderfully  distinguished  Mexico 
from  the  rest  of  the  continent.  Hitherto,  Europeans  had 
found  in  the  lands  of  their  discovery  nothing  but  untutored 
savages  living  in  the  most  barbarous  and  undeveloped  style. 
But  here  were  buildings  constructed  of  stone  and  mortar 
and  inhabited  by  a  people  who  were  clothed  in  well-woven 
cotton  garments.  There  were  temples  also  which  were 
filled  with  idols  and  ornaments  made  of  gold ;  but  these  the 
Spaniards  were  not  to  possess  without  much  fighting  and 
loss  of  life,  as  we  learn  from  the  narration  of  Bernal  Diaz, 
who  thus  describes  a  fight  which  they  had  with  the  natives 
at  Champeton : 

u  Perceiving  how  closely  we  were  hemmed  in  on  all  sides 
by  the  enemy,  who  not  only  kept  getting  fresh  troops  but 
were  plentifully  supplied  in  the  field  with  meat,  drink,  and 
numbers  of  arrows,  we  soon  concluded  that  all  our  valiant 
fighting  would  not  benefit  us.  All  of  us  were  wounded. 
Many  were  shot  through  the  neck  and  more  than  fifty  of 
our  men  were  killed.  In  this  critical  position  we  deter 
mined  to  cut  our  way  manfully  through  the  enemy's  ranks 
and  get  to  the  boats,  which  fortunately  lay  on  the  coast 
near  us.  We  therefore  resolutely  closed  our  ranks  and 
broke  through  those  of  the  enemy.  You  should  then  have 


Zettera  di  Amerigo  vdpucd 
dcilc  ifole  nuonamcnte 
trouare  in  quattro 
fuoi 


Title-page  of  the  original   account  of  the  four  voyages  of  Vespucius. 
After  the  original  in  the  collection  of  the  late  Bernard  2>uaritch. 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 


32I 


heard  the  whizzing  of  their  arrows,  the  terrible  yells  of  the 
Indians,  and  how  they  incited  one  another  to  fight.  .  .  . 
Many  of  our  men  were  wounded  while  climbing  into  the 
vessel,  especially  those  who  clung  to  its  side,  for  the  Indians 
pursued  us  in  their  canoes,  and  persistently  assailed  us. 
With  the  utmost  exertion  and  the  help  of  God  we  escaped 
from  the  hands  of  this  people. 

Cordova,  having  coasted  around  the  peninsula  as  far  as 
Campeche,  returned  to  Santiago  de  Cuba.  The  news  of 
the  expedition  soon  spread  throughout  San  Domingo  and 
Cuba.  Particular  interest  was  shown  in  the  crowns,  the 
golden  ducks,  the  fish,  and  the  idols  which  were  brought 
home;  so  that,  as  Diaz  relates,  not  only  were  they  much 
talked  of  in  the  islands,  but  the  report  concerning  them 
reached  Spain,  where  it  was  said  that  "none  of  the  dis 
covered  countries  were  as  rich  as  this  one."  Two  Indians 
had  been  brought  back  by  the  party;  when  closely  ques 
tioned  by  Diego  Velasquez,  the  governor,  they  affirmed  the 
existence  of  gold  mines  in  their  country  and  also  that  gold 
dust  was  there  in  abundance,  which  statement  Diaz  says 
was  not  true,  "  for  it  is  well  known  that  there  are  no  gold 
mines  ...  in  the  whole  of  Yucatan."  They  were 
shown  the  seed  beds  of  the  cassava  plant,  from  whose  root 
bread  is  made  and  which  in  Cuba  is  called  yuca,  the  ground 
in  which  it  is  planted  being  called  by  the  Indians  tale,  "  so 
from  these  two  words  originated  the  name  of  the  country, 
Yucatan ;  for  the  Spaniards,  who  were  standing  around  the 
governor  at  the  time  he  was  speaking  to  the  two  Indians, 
said :  '  You  see,  sir,  they  call  their  country  Yucatan.'  And 
from  this  circumstance  the  country  retained  the  name  of 
Yucatan,  although  the  natives  call  it  by  a  different  name." 

After  Velasquez  had  heard  the  favorable  account  of  the 
newly  discovered  Yucatan,  he  fitted  out  another  expedition 
in  1518,  consisting  of  four  vessels.  The  report  of  the 
"lime  and  stone  houses"  in  that  country  and  the  "signs" 
made  by  the  Indian  Melchorejo,  who  had  returned  with  the 


322 


DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 


discoverers,  had  aroused  great  enthusiasm  "among  the  in 
habitants  and  soldiers  on  the  island  [Cuba],"  and  two 
hundred  and  twenty  men  were  soon  ready  to  accompany 
this  second  expedition.  Velasquez,  believing  that  much  gold 
would  be  obtained,  deemed  it  necessary  to  place  the  under 
taking  in  charge  of  one  on  whom  he  could  rely;  he  there 
fore  appointed  his  nephew,  Juan  de  Grijalva,  to  the  chief 
command.  The  points  reached  by  Cordova  were  revisited, 
but  the  natives  at  first  were  no  more  friendly  than  before; 
after  a  while,  however,  the  Spaniards  established  better 
relations  and  secured  much  gold  in  barter.  Among  the 
evidences  of  civilization  which  attracted  Grijalva  were  many 
large  stone  crosses,  which  appeared  to  be  objects  of  venera 
tion  by  the  natives,  hence  he  named  the  country  New 
Spain;  but  the  Spaniards  soon  found  that  these  were  no 
indications  of  a  religion  in  any  way  like  the  Christian. 
Here  they  first  saw  the  pyramidal  temples  of  the  Aztecs 
and  witnessed  the  horrible  human  sacrifices  to  which  those 
temples  were  devoted. 

In  their  intercourse  with  the  natives  the  Spaniards  fre 
quently  heard  the  word  Mexico,  and  especially  when  they 
inquired  where  more  gold  might  be  found.  They  therefore 
proceeded  northward  along  the  coast  of  Mexico,  and  thus 
prepared  the  way  for  the  expeditions  which  were  soon  to 
follow.  Their  eager  quest  of  gold,  and  how  at  times  it 
was  disappointed,  is  quaintly  illustrated  by  Bernal  Diaz, 
who  was  one  of  the  explorers : 

"As  soon  as  the  inhabitants  of  Guacasualco  and  the 
neighboring  districts  learned  that  we  offered  our  goods  for 
barter,  they  brought  us  all  their  golden  ornaments,  and  took 
in  exchange  green  glass  beads,  on  which  they  set  a  high 
value.  Besides  ornaments  of  gold,  each  Indian  had  with 
him  a  copper  axe,  which  was  very  highly  polished,  with  the 
handle  curiously  carved,  that  served  equally  as  an  orna 
ment  and,  on  the  field  of  battle,  as  a  weapon.  At  first 
we  thought  that  these  axes  were  made  of  an  inferior  kind 


EXPLORAriON  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 


323 


of  gold.  Therefore  we  began  to  take  them  in  exchange, 
and  in  the  space  of  two  days  collected  more  than  six  hun 
dred,  with  which  we  were  no  less  pleased,  as  long  as  we 
were  ignorant  of  their  real  value,  than  the  Indians  were 
with  our  glass  beads.  .  .  .  We  set  sail  for  Cuba,  and 
arrived  there  in  the  space  of  forty  days.  .  .  .  We 
were  most  graciously  welcomed  by  the  governor,  Diego 
Velasquez,  who  was  highly  delighted  with  the  additional 
gold  we  brought  him.  Altogether  it  was  well  worth  four 
thousand  pesos;  so  that,  with  the  sixteen  thousand  brought 
over  by  Alvarado,  the  whole  amounted  to  twenty  thousand 
pesos.  Some  made  this  sum  greater,  some  less;  but  one 
thing  is  certain,  the  crown  officials  took  only  the  fifth  of 
the  last-mentioned  sum.  When  they  were  about  to  take  the 
fifth  also  of  the  Indian  axes,  which  we  had  mistaken  for 
gold,  they  grew  exceedingly  angry  on  finding  them  only  to 
be  of  a  fine  quality  of  copper.  This  caused  the  people 
to  laugh  at  our  trading  transactions.'* 

Velasquez  now  set  about  the  exploration  and  taking  pos 
session  of  Mexico  in  the  most  thorough  manner,  though, 
as  it  turned  out,  he  himself  took  but  little  part  in  the  project. 
He  placed  a  new  expedition  in  charge  of  Hernando  Cortes, 
and  his  choice  could  not  possibly  have  fallen  upon  a  man 
better  adapted  to  carry  out  its  design.  Born  in  1485,  this 
famous  explorer  made  his  first  voyage  to  the  New  World 
in  1504.  By  nature  he  was  possessed  of  a  courage  which  in 
many  of  its  manifestations  can  only  be  described  as  audacity. 
His  experience  with  Velasquez  in  conquering  Cuba  inured  him 
to  that  Spanish  method  of  treating  natives  which  in  Mexico 
he  was  to  employ  on  the  largest  scale  and  in  the  most  memo 
rable  instance  which  the  history  of  the  New  World  affords. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1519,  he  sailed  from  Cuba 
with  eleven  vessels  and  seven  hundred  men.  It  is  said 
that  Velasquez,  who  was  of  an  extremely  jealous  and  dis 
trustful  disposition,  purposed,  at  the  last  moment,  to  with 
draw  the  command  from  Cortes;  but  the  latter  defeated 


324 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


this  "object  by  sailing  away  before  all  the  preparations  were 
completed.  He  took  the  route  that  had  been  followed  by 
Grijalva  until  he  came  to  Tabasco  River,  which  had  been 
discovered  by  the  latter. 

He  was  not  to  proceed  without  ceremony  to  the  fulfil 
ment  of  his  plan  to  explore  Mexico,  for  Montezuma  had 
despatched  Teuthlille,  one  of  his  great  princes,  as  envoy  to 
the  leader  of  the  strange  visitors.  The  Spaniards  found  in 
this  important  official  an  Indian  of  a  type  altogether  differ 
ent  from  any  they  had  yet  met ;  they  were  soon  made  aware 
also  that  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  country  possessed  of  a 
highly  organized  social  system,  whose  monarch  was  as  sen 
sible  of  his  dignity  as  was  the  King  of  Spain,  and  whose  am 
bassador  was  by  no  means  lacking  in  the  diplomacy  which  is 
the  usual  mark  of  that  office. 

The  envoy  was  accompanied  by  another  distinguished 
official  and  attended  by  a  large  retinue  of  Indians  bearing 
presents  of  fowls  and  plants.  The  salutations  were  marked 
by  much  ceremony,  and  on  their  completion  Teuthlille 
announced  that  he  wished,  at  the  request  of  his  king,  to 
learn  who  the  Spaniards  were  and  what  they  sought  in  the 
country.  Cortes  promised  a  reply  and  meanwhile  caused 
mass  to  be  said,  at  which  Montezuma's  representatives 
were  present;  he  then  entertained  them  at  dinner,  and  in 
formed  them  at  its  close  that  the  Spaniards  were  the  subjects 
of  the  greatest  monarch  in  the  world,  at  whose  command 
they  had  come  to  Montezuma's  country,  concerning  which 
and  its  mighty  sovereign  their  monarch  had  long  before 
heard.  Cortes  further  announced  that  he  desired  to  become 
the  friend  of  the  Mexican  sovereign  and  that  he  had  many 
things  to  disclose  to  him  in  the  name  of  his  majesty  the 
emperor.  To  the  end  that  a  good  understanding  should 
be  established  between  himself  and  Montezuma's  subjects, 
Cortes  desired  to  be  informed  of  the  monarch's  place  of 
residence,  so  that  he  might  pay  his  respects  to  him  and 
make  the  intended  disclosures.  The  answer  of  the  wary 
ambassador,  as  recorded  by  Diaz,  was  imperiously  uttered : 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 


325 


"Inasmuch  as  you  have  lately  arrived  in  this  country,  it 
would  be  more  becoming  that  before  desiring  an  interview 
with  my  monarch,  you  should  accept  this  present,  which 
we  have  brought  you  in  his  name,  and  then  disclose  your 
wishes  to  me."  He  then  presented  Cortes  with  many  gold 
trinkets,  a  lot  of  stuffs  made  of  cotton  and  feathers,  and 
many  other  costly  presents,  besides  provisions,  all  of  which 
Cortes  received  "with  a  pleased  expression,  and  presented 
these  gentlemen  in  return  with  glass  beads  resembling  bril 
liants  and  other  things  that  we  had  brought  from  Spain." 
Before  taking  his  departure,  the  ambassador  caused  pictures 
of  all  he  had  seen  to  be  made  by  the  native  artists  in  his 
train;  he  also  promised  to  request  the  inhabitants  to  begin 
bartering  gold  for  the  articles  which  the  Spaniards  had  for 
trading  purposes. 

Some  days  afterward, Teuthlille  returned  "  with  more  than 
a  hundred  Indian  porters,  all  heavily  laden"  with  presents 
consisting  of  various  cotton  stuffs  "beautifully  manufac 
tured,"  shields  of  exquisite  cotton  and  feather  work,  a 
helmet  of  carved  wood,  "  rilled  with  grains  of  gold,"  gold 
and  silver  lockets  to  the  number  of  a  thousand,  shoes  and 
sandals  of  leather,  and  many  other  articles  of  the  finest 
workmanship  and  of  rare  material,  the  recital  of  which  fills 
the  reader  with  wonder  at  the  wealth  and  also  the  art  of  the 
Aztec  nation.  Juan  de  Torquemada,  a  contemporary  writer, 
says :  "  Those  who  saw  the  splendid  presents  said  that  with 
out  considering  the  beautiful  workmanship,  the  value  of  the 
gold  and  silver  alone  amounted  to  twenty-five  castellanos  de 
oro,  so  that  the  full  value  of  these  presents  may  be  rightly 
estimated  at  fifty  thousand  ducats."  The  quality  of  the 
presents  revealed  to  the  crafty  Cortes  the  culture  of 
the  Mexicans,  and  their  value  filled  his  mind  with  the  rich 
prospect  that  opened  to  his  audacious  undertaking.  Mon- 
tezuma,  in  addition  to  the  magnificence  of  his  gifts,  seems 
to  have  astutely  flattered  Cortes  by  sending  as  a  joint  am 
bassador  with  Teuthlille  a  distinguished  cacique  named 
Quintalbor,  who  had  been  chosen  because  of  the  strong 


326  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

resemblance  he  bore  to  Cortes,  a  resemblance  recognized  by 
all  the  grandees  in  attendance  when  the  Spaniard's  picture 
was  presented  to  Montezuma. 

But  neither  flattery  nor  presents  availed  to  turn  Cortes 
from  his  project.  Rather  had  the  sight  of  such  wondrously 
beautiful  objects,  and  the  yet  more  fascinating  gold,  intensi 
fied  his  cupidity;  again  were  rich  gifts  bestowed  on  him  by 
Montezuma,  who,  with  his  courtiers,  was  dismayed  at  the 
intelligence  that  the  Spaniard  persisted  in  visiting  the  king 
at  his  capital.  The  Spaniard  had  resources  on  which  the 
Mexicans  did  not  count,  and  the  latter  already  stood  in  too 
great  awe  of  the  unwelcome  intruders  to  compel  them  to 
leave  their  country.  Montezuma's  entreaties  were  in  vain : 
Cortes,  in  his  progress,  first  conquered  and  then  diplomat 
ically  made  friends  with  the  people  of  the  provinces  on 
whom  the  Mexicans  were  in  the  habit  of  laying  heavy 
tribute  in  human  beings  for  the  supply  of  their  dreadful 
sacrificial  rites.  These  people  were  ready  to  support  the 
invader  against  the  tyrant  who  oppressed  them.  Five  of 
their  number,  we  learn  from  Diaz,  had  visited  Cortes  and 
proffered  their  help  against  the  hated  Mexicans  and  fur 
nished  him  with  valuable  information  respecting  the  enemies 
of  Montezuma.  Thus  was  the  way  paved  for  the  over 
throw  of  the  Mexican  dynasty  and  the  acquisition  of  the 
rich  treasures  of  the  country. 

While  busy  with  his  explorations  and  his  projects  to 
possess  himself  of  the  Mexican  empire  and  its  wealth,- 
Cortes  also  took  careful  measures  to  establish  his  political 
position  and  guard  himself  against  the  jealousy  of  Velas 
quez.  The  latter  had  adherents  in  the  company  of  Cortes ; 
and  the  commander  knew  that  if  through  them  information 
of  his  rich  finding  should  reach  Cuba,  his  own  supremacy 
would  soon  be  at  an  end,  or  at  least  desperately  disputed.  He 
therefore  founded  a  city  near  Chiahuitala,  which  he  called 
Villa  Rica  de  Vera  Cruz.  This  being  by  him  constituted 
a  Spanish  municipality,  he  resigned  his  commission  which 
he  had  received  from  Velasquez,  and  caused  himself  to  be 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 


327 


placed  in  supreme  command  by  the  city  which  he  had  created. 
He  also  used  every  effort  to  prevent  news  of  his  movements 
reaching  Havana,  but  sent  the  most  glowing  accounts  of  his 
discoveries  to  the  court  of  Spain. 

In  order  to  compel  the  men  with  him  to  realize  that  they 
must  depend  entirely  upon  their  courage  and  their  unanim 
ity  of  purpose,  Cortes,  in  August,  1519,  formed  and  carried 
out  a  plan  which  has  hardly  its  equal  in  history  for  des 
perate  and  audacious  bravery.  He  destroyed  his  ships; 
and  thus  made  it  necessary  that  he  and  his  men  should 
remain  in  the  country  and  support  themselves  in  it  by  the 
force  of  arms. 

How  and  under  what  difficulties  Cortes  marched  through 
the  country;  how  he  made  allies  of  the  Tlascalans,  first  by 
acts  of  prowess  in  war  against  them,  and  then  by  availing 
himself  of  their  natural  enmity  toward  the  Mexicans;  how 
he  entered  the  great  city  of  Cholula,  and,  though  received 
there  with  great  honor,  yet,  believing  that  a  plot  was  formed 
against  him,  deluged  the  streets  of  the  city  with  the  blood 
of  its  inhabitants,  we  cannot  here  describe  in  detail.  Pres- 
cott's  immortal  work  follows  the  conqueror  step  by  step. 
We  will  include  only  the  following  note  from  Bernal  Diaz, 
giving  the  impressions  of  an  eyewitness  of  Aztec  magnifi 
cence  and  those  cruelties  of  the  Mexican  religion  which 
serve  to  mitigate  our  criticism  of  Spanish  severity. 

"  Cholula  had  more  than  a  hundred  very  high  towers ;  they 
were  all  cues,  or  temples,  in  which  stood  idols  to  which 
human  sacrifices  were  offered.  The  principal  temple  was 
even  higher  than  the  one  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  though  the 
latter  was  really  magnificent  and  very  high.  The  temple 
(at  Cholula)  is  said  to  have  contained  one  hundred  courts, 
and  an  idol  of  enormous  dimensions  (the  name  of  which  I 
have  forgotten),  which  was  in  great  repute,  and  people  came 
from  various  places  to  sacrifice  human  beings  to  it  and 
bring  offerings  for  the  dead.  1  well  remember  when  we 
first  entered  the  city  and  beheld  the  elevated  white  temples, 


328  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

how  the  whole  place  reminded  us  all  of  Valladolid.  .  .  . 
I  must  add  a  word  or  two  respecting  the  wooden  cages  we 
saw  in  this  city.  They  were  constructed  of  heavy  tim 
ber,  and  filled  with  grown  men  and  little  boys,  who  were 
fattening  for  the  sacrifices  and  feasts.  Cortes  ordered  these 
diabolical  cages  to  be  pulled  down,  and  sent  the  prisoners 
to  their  homes." 

But  Cholula  was  not  the  objective  point  of  the  deter 
mined  explorer;  and  in  spite  of  the  protestations  of  the 
monarch,  Cortes  was  unalterable  in  his  purpose  to  visit 
the  capital  and  see  Montezuma  in  person.  When  the  latter 
learned  that  this  was  the  Spaniard's  resolve,  he  concluded  it 
to  be  the  better  policy  to  receive  his  visitor  with  a  good  grace, 
and  also  with  all  the  dignity  which  his  barbaric  civilization 
could  muster.  He  sent  his  nephew,  Cacamatzin,  the 
Prince  of  Tezcuco,  with  great  pomp,  to  bid  the  Spaniards 
welcome;  so,  accompanied  by  many  of  the  noblest  caciques 
and  an  innumerable  train  of  their  attendants,  Cortes  and  his 
men  moved  toward  the  capital. 

New  surprises  attended  their  course  at  every  step;  they 
saw  an  architecture,  the  beauty  of  which  Diaz  says  u  resem 
bled  the  fairy  castles  of  which  we  read  in  Amadls  of  Gaul; 
so  high,  majestically,  and  splendidly  did  the  temples,  towers, 
and  houses  of  the  city,  all  built  of  massive  stone  and  lime, 
rise  above  the  water  of  the  lake."  They  were  amazed  as 
new  evidences  of  wealth  and  culture  were  revealed  on  their 
way.  Proceeding  through  Iztapalapan,  accompanied  by  the 
royal  escort,  and  attended  by  great  throngs  of  people  that 
were  constantly  arriving  to  gaze  at  them,  the  Spaniards  saw 
city  on  city  stretching  out  along  the  banks  of  Lake  Tezcuco, 
with  the  coveted  goal,  the  great  city  of  Mexico  lying  in  all 
its  grandeur  before  them.  Well  might  Diaz  write : 

"And  we,  who  were  beholding  this  spectacle,  who  were 
passing  through  this  dense  concourse  of  human  beings, 
were  a  mere  handful  of  men,  in  all  four  hundred  and  fiftyjw 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO          329 

our  minds  filled  with  the  warnings  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Huexotzinco,  Tlascala,  and  Tlalmanalco,  and  the  caution 
they  had  given  us  not  to  expose  our  lives  to  the  treachery 
of  the  Mexicans.  I  ask  the  kind  reader  to  reflect  a  moment, 
and  then  to  say  whether  he  believes  any  men  in  this  world 
ever  attempted  so  bold  an  undertaking." 

Montezuma  proceeded  to  the  outskirts  of  his  capital  to 
meet  his  despoilers.  His  state  attire,  retinue,  all  denoted  his 
wealth  and  importance.  He  was  no  mere  barbaric  chieftain 
going  to  receive  the  strangers ;  ceremony  that  exceeded  that 
of  the  Old  World  courts  prevailed  in  his;  the  most  profuse 
politeness  and  royal  dignity  marked  his  reception  of  Cortes 
and  his  party.  The  Spanish  leader  was  invited  to  the  capital, 
whither  he  was  conducted  by  two  royal  princes  and  a  fol 
lowing  of  grandees.  Arrived  within  the  city,  the  Spaniards 
were  quartered  in  a  large  building  near  the  temples,  because 
it  was  supposed  by  the  Mexicans  that  their  visitors  were  of 
a  divine  character  and  should  properly  dwell  among  the  gods. 
"  The  apartments  and  halls  were  very  spacious,"  says  Diaz, 
"and  those  set  apart  for  our  general  were  furnished  with 
carpets.  Each  one  of  us  had  a  separate  bed,  which  could 
not  have  been  better  furnished  for  a  gentleman  of  the  first 
rank.  Each  apartment  was  swept  clean,  and  the  walls  were 
newly  plastered  and  decorated." 

On  November  9,  1519,  Cortes  had  an  audience  with 
Montezuma  in  his  palace.  This  most  remarkable  ruler  is 
thus  described  by  Diaz : 

"The  mighty  Montezuma  may  have  been  about  this 
time  in  the  fortieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  tall,  slender, 
and  thin ;  but  his  body  was  well  proportioned.  His  com 
plexion  was  not  very  brown,  almost  the  same  as  that  of  the 
inhabitants.  His  hair  was  not  long,  excepting  where  it 
hung  thickly  over  his  ears,  which  were  hid  by  it.  His 
black  beard,  though  thin,  was  handsome.  His  face  was 
somewhat  long,  but  he  had  a  cheerful  countenance,  and 


33° 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 


his  fine  eyes  had  an  expression  of  amiability  or  of  ill  will 
according  to  his  humor.  He  was  particularly  clean  in  ap 
pearance,  and  took  a  bath  every  evening.  Besides  a  number 
of  concubines,  who  were  all  daughters  of  note  and  rank,  he 
had  two  lawful  wives  of  royal  extraction,  whom,  however, 
he  visited  secretly  without  anyone  daring  to  observe  him, 
except  his  most  confidential  servants." 

Nothing  could  give  a  more  vivid  impression  of  the  won 
derful  social  system  of  this  great  nation  of  the  New  World 
than  the  following  description  by  Diaz  of  the  market  place 
in  the  city  of  Mexico: 

u  Our  commander,  attended  by  the  greater  part  of  our 
horsemen  and  foot  soldiers,  all  well  armed,  as  we  were  at 
all  times,  proceeded  to  the  Tlatelulco.  By  command  of 
Montezuma,  a  number  of  caciques  met  us  on  our  way 
thither.  When  we  arrived  in  this  immense  market,  we 
were  greatly  astonished  to  see  the  vast  number  of  people, 
the  profusion  of  merchandise  exposed  for  sale,  and  the  ad 
mirable  police  system,  and  the  order  that  everywhere  existed. 
The  grandees  who  accompanied  us  drew  our  attention  to 
the  smallest  circumstance,  and  gave  us  an  explanation  of 
all  we  saw.  Each  class  of  merchandise  had  a  separate 
place  for  its  sale.  We  first  visited  those  divisions  of  the 
market  set  apart  for  the  sale  of  gold  and  silver  wares,  jewels, 
cloths  interwoven  with  feathers,  and  other  manufactured 
goods,  where  also  slaves  of  both  sexes  were  sold.  The 
slave  market  was  upon  as  great  a  scale  as  the  Portuguese 
market  for  negro  slaves  at  Guinea.  To  prevent  the  slaves 
from  running  away,  they  were  fastened  by  halters  around 
their  necks,  though  some  were  allowed  to  walk  at  large.  Next 
to  these  divisions  were  the  dealers  in  coarser  wares,  cotton, 
twisted  thread,  and  cacao.  In  short,  all  kinds  of  commodi 
ties  produced  in  New  Spain  [Yucatan  and  Mexico]  were 
here  to  be  found.  The  market  reminded  me  of  my  native 
town  of  Medina  del  Campo  at  fair  time,  where  each  kind 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO 


331 


of  merchandise  has  a  separate  street  assigned  for  its  sale.  In 
one  place  were  sold  the  stuffs  manufactured  of  nequen,  as 
ropes  and  sandals.  In  another  place,  the  sweet  maguey  root, 
ready  cooked,  was  offered  for  sale,  and  various  other  things 
made  from  this  plant.  In  another  part  of  the  market  were 
exposed  the  skins  of  tigers,  lions,  jackals,  otters,  red  deer, 
wild-cats,  and  of  other  animals  of  prey.  Some  of  the  skins 
were  tanned.  A  particular  space  was  assigned  to  the  vendors 
of  fowls,  turkeys,  ducks,  rabbits,  hares,  deer,  and  dogs;  also 
a  space  to  the  fruit  sellers,  pastry  cooks,  and  tripemongers. 
Not  far  from  these  were  exposed  all  kinds  of  earthenware, 
from  the  largest  jars  to  the  smallest  pitchers.  Next  were  the 
dealers  in  honey  and  honey  cakes,  and  other  sweetmeats. 
Next  to  these  were  the  timber  merchants,  furniture  dealers, 
with  assortments  of  tables,  benches,  cradles,  and  all  kinds 
of  wooden  implements,  all  separately  arranged." 

But  the  feature  of  Aztec  civilization — if  civilization  it 
can  be  called — -which  stands  out  in  greatest  and  most  horri 
fying  prominence  is  the  religious  rites  of  the  Mexicans.  It 
serves  considerably  to  lessen  our  abhorrence  of  the  treat 
ment  which  Montezuma  and  his  people  received  from  the 
Spanish  invaders,  and  to  dull  the  keenness  of  our  sympathy 
with  the  former.  Diaz  thus  describes  the  principal  scene 
of  these  abominable  rites  : 

"  Before  we  ascended  the  steps  of  the  great  temple, 
Montezuma,  who  was  sacrificing  on  the  top  to  his  idols, 
sent  six  priests  and  two  of  his  principal  officers  to  conduct 
Cortes  up  the  steps.  There  were  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
steps  to  the  summit,  and  as  they  feared  that  Cortes  would 
experience  the  same  fatigue  in  mounting  as  Montezuma 
had,  they  desired  to  assist  him  by  taking  hold  of  his  arms. 
Cortes,  however,  would  not  accept  the  proffered  aid.  When 
we  had  reached  the  summit  of  the  temple,  we  walked  across 
a  platform  where  many  large  stones  were  lying,  on  which 
those  who  were  doomed  for  sacrifice  were  stretched  out. 


332 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


Near  these  stood  a  large  idol,  in  the  shape  of  a  dragon, 
surrounded  by  various  other  abominable  figures,  with  a  quan 
tity  of  fresh  blood  in  front  of  it.  ... 

"This  infernal  temple,  from  its  great  height,  commanded 
an  extensive  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  From  it 
we  could  see  the  three  causeways  leading  to  the  city, — that 
one  from  Iztapalapan,  by  which  we  had  entered  the  city 
four  days  before;  that  one  from  Tlacupa,  along  which  we 
took  our  flight  eight  months  after,  when  we  were  driven 
out  of  the  city  by  the  new  monarch,  Cuitlahuatzin;  the 
third,  the  one  from  Tepeaquilla.  We  also  saw  the  aque 
duct,  which  extended  from  Chapultepec  and  supplied  the 
city  with  fresh  water.  We  could  also  distinctly  see  the 
bridges  across  the  openings  in  the  causeways,  through  which 
the  waters  of  the  lake  ebbed  and  flowed.  The  lake  was 
crowded  with  canoes  conveying  provisions,  manufactured 
articles,  and  other  merchandise  to  the  city.  We  also  ob 
served  that  the  only  means  of  intercourse  between  the 
houses  in  this  city,  and  between  those  of  all  the  other 
towns  built  in  the  lake,  was  by  drawbridges  or  canoes.  In 
all  these  cities  the  beautiful  white-plastered  temples  rose 
above  the  smaller  ones,  like  many  of  the  towers  and  castles 
in  our  Spanish  cities.  The  view  from  the  top  of  the 
temple,  it  may  be  imagined,  was  a  splendid  sight. 

"After  we  had  sufficiently  gazed  upon  this  magnificent  pic 
ture,  we  again  turned  our  eyes  toward  the  great  market,  and 
beheld  the  vast  number  of  buyers  and  sellers  who  thronged  it. 
The  bustle  and  noise  caused  by  this  multitude  of  human 
beings  was  so  great  that  it  could  be  heard  at  a  distance  of 
more  than  four  miles.  Some  of  our  men,  who  had  been  at 
Constantinople  and  at  Rome  and  had  travelled  through  the 
whole  of  Italy,  said  that  they  never  had  seen  a  market  place 
of  such  large  dimensions,  or  which  was  so  well  regulated,  or 
so  crowded  with  people,  as  this  one  in  Mexico." 

Dazzled  by  the  magnificence  and  wealth  now  presented, 
and  realizing  the  prize  that  his  exploration  offered  to  L 


EXPLORATION  IN  FLORIDA  AND  MEXICO          333 

cupidity,  Cortes  determined  to  secure  this  great  empire  as 
a  Spanish  possession — an  appanage  that  would  outweigh  all 
previous  discoveries  and  intensify  the  lust  of  riches  and 
empire.  But  how  to  accomplish  this  was  a  question  which, 
to  his  credit  it  must  be  said,  there  are  few  commanders  in 
the  history  of  the  world  who  would  have  dared  even  to  take 
into  consideration.  He  was  accompanied  by  only  four 
hundred  and  fifty  men ;  he  was  an  unwelcome,  though  an 
exceedingly  interesting,  guest  in  the  midst  of  a  populous 
and  powerful  nation;  and  was  entirely  without  hope  of 
reinforcement  or  succor  from  the  outside.  The  plan  he 
conceived  and  executed  is  no  less  illustrative  of  the  shrewd 
ness  of  his  policy  than  it  is  of  the  audacity  of  his  purpose : 
he  would  hold  Montezuma  as  a  hostage  for  his  safety  and  as 
a  pledge  to  be  redeemed  by  the  fulfilment  of  his  demands. 

Once  determined  on,  Cortes  quickly  and  completely  car 
ried  out  his  purpose.  Neither  the  fears  of  his  own  men 
nor  his  own  anxiety  could  restrain  him.  He  soon  found 
or  created  a  pretext  to  secure  the  person  of  Montezuma. 
It  was  reported  that  nine  Spaniards  had  been  killed  by  a 
Mexican  grandee,  and  there  were  rumors  of  a  conspiracy 
against  his  own  person.  He  distributed  his  forces  to  guard 
his  quarters,  keep  the  streets  open,  and  as  a  personal  escort 
when  he  called  at  Montezuma's  palace.  Long  disputing 
attended  the  proposal  that  Montezuma  should  accompany 
Cortes  to  his  quarters,  a  virtual  prisoner;  but  the  Spaniard 
finally  prevailed,  after  assuring  the  Mexican  monarch  that 
his  rule  and  government  should  not  be  affected  by  his  placing 
himself  in  Cortes's  hands. 

The  story  of  how  the  Mexicans  revolted  when  the  Span 
iards  attacked  their  idols,  although  they  endured  the  im 
prisonment  of  their  king;  how  Cortes  and  his  few  men 
desperately  and  with  great  loss  cut  their  way  out  of  the 
capital;  how  the  Spanish  commander,  with  a  few  additional 
reinforcements  of  his  own  nationality  and  a  horde  of  the 
Tlascalans,  besieged  the  city  for  nine  months;  how  Mon 
tezuma  was  slain  by  his  own  people,  and  Guatemotzin,  his 


334 


DISCO  VERT  AND  EX  PL  OR  A  TION 


successor,  gallantly  defended  his  capital;  and  finally,  how 
this  prince  was  at  last  defeated  and,  with  the  shamelessness 
characteristic  of  the  Spaniards,  put  to  the  torture  that  he 
might  be  compelled  to  divulge  the  hiding  place  of  his  gold, 
is  one  of  those  authentic  and  important  narratives  that 
taxes  to  the  utmost  the  confidence  of  students  of  history, 
while  it  affords  perhaps  the  most  thrilling  picture  presented 
in  the  story  of  the  explorations  of  the  New  World.  The 
subjugation  of  the  Mexicans,  the  acquisition  of  the  vast 
wealth  of  its  ruler  and  people,  and  the  addition  of  the  great 
empire  to  Spain's  possessions,  were  events  that  surpassed 
the  dreams  of  avarice,  gave  a  new  impetus  to  the  exploita 
tion  of  the  New  World,  and  certainly  inscribed  one  of  the 
most  brilliant,  perhaps  one  of  the  most  sinister,  pages  in 
the  history  of  the  Spanish  nation. 


CHAPTER    XI 
SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

THE  discovery  of  Yucatan  and  Mexico  and  the  great 
reservoir  of  wealth  which  Cortes  had  tapped  in  the  latter 
country  threw  the  Spaniards,  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic, 
into  that  state  of  excitement  which  is  commonly  and  ap 
propriately  termed  the  "gold  fever."  Something  more  than 
mere  scientific  results  had  now  been  achieved;  the  material 
success  which  had  been  urged  as  the  motive  and  reward 
of  costly  and  hazardous  expeditions  had  now  been  realized 
even  beyond  promise;  and  vast  empire  power  was  no 
longer  only  a  visionary  speculation.  Whether  these  new 
lands  were  the  possession  of  the  Great  Khan  was  a  ques 
tion  of  minor  importance,  for  riches  equalling  those  of  the 
dreams  which  had  been  inspired  by  Marco  Polo  were  ready 
to  the  Spanish  hand.  Consequently,  as  is  always  the  case 
when  a  new  country  rich  in  mineral  wealth  is  thrown  open, 
there  was  a  rush  to  take  possession;  and  those  near  by, 
having  the  advantage,  won  the  race.  Among  these  was 
Francisco  de  Garay,  a  veteran  in  West  Indian  discovery 
and  exploration.  He  had  sailed  with  Columbus  on  the 
second  voyage,  and  in  the  year  1518  was  Governor  of 
Jamaica  under  Diego  Velasquez.  Garay's  aim  was  to 
explore  further  the  country  about  the  river  Panuco  on  the 
Gulf  coast,  in  the  pursuit  of  which  he  extended  his  dis 
coveries  along  the  Florida  coast.  Bernal  Diaz  thus  writes 
of  Garay's  expedition : 

335 


336  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

"In  the  year  1518,  when  the  report  of  our  having  dis 
covered  this  country  under  Cordova  and  Grijalva,  and  of 
the  twenty  thousand  -pesos  which  came  into  the  hands 
of  Diego  Velasquez,  had  spread  through  the  whole  of  the 
West  Indies,"  Garay  having  "received  the  information  of 
a  new  expedition  that  was  destined  for  New  Spain,  under 
Hernando  Cortes,  he  [Francisco  de  Garay]  was  seized  with 
a  great  desire  likewise  to  discover  some  new  countries,  and 
certainly  he  had  more  wealth  at  his  command  than  we  to 
fit  out  a  fleet  for  such  a  purpose.  He  had  learned  con 
siderable  about  the  riches  of  the  new  countries  from  our 
old  chief  pilot  Alaminos,  and  how  thickly  populated  the 
provinces  were  on  the  river  Panuco;  and  as  several  other 
sailors,  who  had  accompanied  us  on  those  expeditions,  con 
firmed  what  Alaminos  had  told  him,  he  thought  that  it  was 
to  his  advantage  to  request  his  majesty  to  grant  him  the 
permission  to  make  further  discoveries  on  the  river  Panuco, 
and  to  appoint  him  governor  of  all  the  lands  he  should  dis 
cover.  For  this  purpose  he  despatched  his  major-domo, 
Juan  de  Torralva,  to  Spain,  with  letters  and  presents  for 
those  who  at  that  time  administered  the  affairs  of  the  Indies, 
soliciting  them  to  procure  him  the  appointment  mentioned. 

"  His  majesty  was  at  the  time  in  Flanders,  and  the  presi 
dent  of  the  council  of  the  Indies,  Don  Juan  Rodriguez  de 
Fonseca,  bishop  of  Burgos  and  titular  archbishop  of  Rosano, 
with  the  two  licentiates  Zapata  and  Vargas,  and  the  secre 
tary  Lopez  de  Conchillos,  managed  the  affairs  of  the  Indies 
as  they  pleased.  Garay  therefore  easily  obtained  the  ap 
pointment  of  adelantado  and  governor  of  the  provinces 
bordering  on  the  rivers  San  Pedro  and  San  Pablo,  and  of  all 
the  countries  he  should  discover.  By  virtue  of  this  appoint 
ment  he  fitted  out  three  vessels,  having  on  board  two  hun 
dred  and  forty  men,  including  a  strong  body  of  cavalry, 
crossbowmen,  and  musketeers.  The  chief  command  of 
this  fleet  he  gave  to  Alonso  Alvarez  de  Pineda."  Diaz  goes 
on  to  relate  how  Pineda  set  sail  with  this  expedition  in  1519 
toward  "the  peninsula  of  Florida,  in  twenty-five  degrees 


COSMOGRPHIAE 

Capadociam/Pamphiliam/Lidiam/  Cilicia/Armi 
nias  maiore  8C  minore.Colchiden/Hircaniam/Hi* 
beriam/Albania:etpr£terea  mFtas  quas  fingilatim 
enumerate  longamoraefletjtadida  ab  eius  nomi 
nis  r  cgi  n  a. 

Nuc  >?o  &  lif  partes  funt  latius  lu ftrata?/&:  alia 

quarta  pars  per  America  Ve(putiu(  vc  in  fequenri 

bus  audietur  )inuenta  eft/qua  non  video  cur  quis 

iure  vetet  ab  Americo  inuentore  fagacis  ingeni)  vi 

Amerk  ro  Amerigen  quafi  Americi  terra  /  fiue  Americam 

ca          dicendatcu  &C  Europa  &T  Afia  a  mulieribus  fua  for 

tita  fint  nomina»Eius  fitu  &  gentis  mores  ex  bis  bi 

nis  Americi  nauigationibus  quae  fequuncliquide 

tntelligidatun 

Hunc  in  modu  terra  iam  quadripartita  cogno* 
fcicet  funt  tres  prime  partes  cotinentes /quarta  eft 
infula:  cu  omni  quacp  man  circudata  conlpiciaf  JEt 
licet  mare  vnu  fit  queadmodu  et  ipfa  tellus  /  mul ris 
tamen  fuiibusdiftincflum  /  8c  innumeris  replgtum 

Prifcia  ^n^svariafi^no'aaffumit:cla5et^  Cofmogra 
phisc  tabulis  cofpiciunf  /&  Prifcianus  in  tralatio  nc 
Dionifij  talibus  enumerat  verfibus* 
Circuit  Oceani  gurges  tamen  vndic|f  vaftus 
Qwcpuisvnus  fitplurima  nominafumit* 
Finibus  Hefp'erijs  Athlanticus  ille  vocatur 
At  Bore^  qua  gens  furit  Armiafpa  fub  armis 
Dicic  iile  pig^r  necao  Ssitunidc  Mortuus  eft  alfjs* 

Page  from  Martin  Waldseemiiller's  Cosmographia-  Introductio,  pub 
lished  in  May,  1507,  showing  the  passage  which  first  suggested  calling 
the  New  World  by  the  name  America.  From  the  original  in  the  New 
York  Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch. 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


337 


of  north  latitude,  for  Florida  appeared  to  them  to  be  a  very 
attractive  island,  and  they  thought  that  it  was  better  to 
settle  on  islands  than  on  the  mainland,  because  they  could 
more  easily  conquer  the  natives  and  keep  them  in  subjec 
tion.  They  landed,  but  the  people  of  Florida  killed  so 
many  of  them  that  they  did  not  dare  to  settle  there.  They 
then  sailed  along  the  coast  and  came  to  the  river  Panuco, 
five  hundred  leagues  from  the  peninsula  of  Florida,  meas 
ured  on  a  course  along  the  coast.  The  natives  attacked 
them  at  every  place.  Many  of  them  were  killed  at  Chila 
(near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Panuco),  where  the  natives 
flayed  and  ate  those  who  fell  into  their  hands  and  hung  up 
the  skins  in  their  temples  to  commemorate  their  valor." 

It  would  appear  that  one  object  which  the  Pineda  expe 
dition  had  in  view  was  to  find  the  strait  by  which  it  was 
supposed  that  Florida,  as  an  island,  was  separated  from  the 
mainland.  Disastrous  as  was  the  ending  of  this  voyage,  it 
nevertheless  added  very  greatly  to  the  knowledge  of  suc 
ceeding  navigators  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  difficult 
for  us  to  follow  the  course  of  Pineda  with  any  precision. 
But  it  seems  probable  that  from  some  point  on  the  northern 
coast  of  the  Gulf  he  sailed  southward  and  eastward  to  the 
extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  Florida.  Failing  to  double 
this,  he  returned  northward  and  westward,  landing  at  vari 
ous  points  to  take  formal  possession  in  the  name  of  Spain, 
until  he  met  Cortes  at  Tampico.  On  his  return  voyage  he 
discovered  the  estuary  of  a  great  river  which  there  is  little 
reason  to  doubt  was  the  Mississippi,  called  at  that  time  the 
Espiritu  Santo. 

In  1521,  Garay  received  from  Charles  V.  a  grant  of  his 
discoveries  in  Florida,  which  included  the  Gulf  shore  from 
Cape  Roxo  in  Mexico  around  the  seaboard  of  Texas, 
Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and  Alabama  to  Pensacola  Bay. 
He,  however,  derived  but  small  benefit  from  this  grant,  for 
in  1523  he  entered  into  a  dispute  with  Cortes  over  the  pos 
session  of  the  river  Panuco,  and  was  defeated  and  carried 


338  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

prisoner  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  where  he  died.  This  grant 
has  a  humanitarian  interest  attached  to  it ;  for  it  reveals  the 
fact  that  the  emperor  was  moved  with  a  desire  to  ameliorate 
the  condition  of  the  Indians  and  prevent  their  abuse  by  the 
Spaniards,  whose  ill  treatment  of  the  natives  is  very  clearly 
indicated  by  the  emperor's  directions  that  search  should  be 
made  whenever  it  were  necessary  to  transport  goods  over 
inland  territory  for  a  river,  in  order  that  the  natives  might 
be  relieved  of  the  arduous  task  of  carrying  these  burdens 
on  their  backs;  that  every  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid 
war  with  the  Indians;  and  that  the  abduction  of  their  women 
should  be  sternly  forbidden. 

The  barbarous  treatment  of  the  natives  in  Hispaniola  by 
the  Spaniards  had  long  since  resulted  in  the  almost  entire 
depopulation  of  the  country.  Hence,  in  order  to  obtain 
slaves,  kidnapping  expeditions  were  despatched  to  the  main 
land.  By  the  time  of  which  we  are  now  writing,  this  had 
become  a  profitable  industry,  and  was  continually  resorted  to 
for  the  purpose  of  reimbursing  the  expenses  of  expeditions 
of  discovery.  As  the  result  of  a  voyage  of  this  description, 
Chesapeake  Bay  was  discovered  by  Lucas  Vasquez  de  Ayllon. 
Hearing  of  the  possessions  on  the  mainland  which  were 
falling  into  the  hands  of  other  explorers,  he  determined  also 
to  find  for  himself  a  kingdom;  at  least,  this  was  included 
in  his  project.  Peter  Martyr,  writing  of  this  expedition 
and  of  the  kidnapping  of  natives,  says : 

"They  determined  to  go  farther  toward  the  north  to 
search  for  a  new  country  rather  than  return  without  any 
slaves.  They  reached  a  country  called  Chicora  and  Gual- 
dape,  in  thirty-two  degrees  of  north  latitude; 
When  our  men  steered  toward  the  shore,  the  inhabitants, 
astonished  at  the  sight  of  the  ships,  imagined  that  some 
monster  was  approaching.  In  order  to  satisfy  their  curi 
osity  they  flocked  in  great  numbers  to  the  shore.  When 
our  people  were  about  to  land  with  their  boats,  the  Indians 
ran  rapidly  away.  As  they  fled,  our  men  pursued.  Some 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR         339 

of  the  youngest  and  the  fastest  runners  overtook  two  of  the 
natives,  a  man  and  a  woman.  They  brought  these  to 
the  ships,  dressed  them,  and  gave  them  their  liberty.  Im 
pressed  by  this  evidence  of  good  will,  the  Indians  returned 
in  crowds  to  the  beach.  The  king  of  the  country,  learning 
how  our  men  had  dealt  with  the  man  and  the  woman,  and 
seeing  the  new  and  costly  garments  upon  them  (for  the 
Indians  only  clothe  themselves  with  the  skins  of  lions  or 
of  other  animals),  sent  fifty  of  his  people  to  ours,  bearing 
the  productions  of  the  country.  When  visited  by  our 
people  he  was  friendly  and  hospitable.  When  they  ex 
pressed  a  desire  to  see  the  surrounding  country  he  gave 
them  guides  and  guards.  Wherever  they  went  the  inhabit 
ants  came  reverently  to  them  with  presents,  as  unto  gods  to 
be  adored,  especially  when  they  saw  them  having  beards, 
and  clothed  with  linen  and  silken  garments.  But  what ! 
The  Spaniards  violated  the  laws  of  hospitality.  For  by 
craft  and  various  cunning  devices,  after  they  had  seen  all 
that  they  wished,  they  so  managed  that  on  an  appointed 
day  the  Indians  visited  the  ships  to  inspect  them.  When 
the  vessels  were  crowded  with  these  innocent  people,  the 
anchors  were  weighed  and  the  sails  hoisted,  and  the  Indians 
were  carried  away  mourning  into  servitude.  Instead  of 
friends  they  made  the  people  of  those  regions  enemies, 
and  having  found  them  contented  they  left  them  miserable, 
having  taken  children  from  parents,  and  husbands  from 
wives.  Of  the  two  ships  one  only  returned,  the  other  was 
never  seen  again.  It  was  conjectured  that  all  on  board 
were  drowned,  the  guilty  and  the  guiltless,  for  it  was  an 
old  ship.  .  .  . 

"While  they  were  there  they  explored  the  two  principal 
regions,  Chicora  and  Duharhe.  .  .  .  They  say  that 
the  people  of  Chicora  are  half-black  or  tawny,  as  our 
farmers  are,  burned  and  tanned  by  the  sun.  The  men 
allow  their  hair  to  grow  long,  which  often  extends  down 
to  their  girdles.  The  hair  of  the  women  is  much  longer. 
Both  sexes  bind  up  their  hair.  The  men  have  no  beards. 


340 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


Whether  or  not  they  are  so  naturally  or  so  by  art  is  un 
known;  however,  they  take  great  pride  in  having  smooth 
faces.  .  .  .  Leaving  Chicora  they  went  to  the  other 
side  of  the  bay,  and  took  possession  of  the  region  called 
Duharhe." 

It  was  in  June,  1521,  that  De  Ayllon's  expedition,  under 
the  command  of  Francisco  Gordillo,  landed  upon  the  con 
tinent.  The  country  to  which  they  had  come,  being  in  lati 
tude  33°  30',  must  have  been  somewhere  near  Cape  Fear, 
in  North  Carolina.  It  was  called  by  the  natives  Chicora. 
To  how  great  an  extent  the  interior  was  explored  by 
De  Ayllon's  men  may  be  judged  by  the  stories  of  the  re 
markable  characteristics  of  the  natives,  to  which  they  gave 
credit.  One  of  these  natives,  who  had  been  kidnapped, 
became  a  Christian  and  learned  to  speak  Spanish.  He  was 
baptized  under  the  name  of  Francisco  Chicora.  Oviedo 
and  Peter  Martyr  have  preserved  some  of  the  remarkable 
accounts  with  which  this  humorous  native  entertained  the 
credulous  Spaniards.  He  told  them  that  the  people  of 
the  neighboring  province,  which  he  called  Duharhe,  were 
white,  and  that  they  had  yellow  hair  which  was  so  long  that 
it  reached  to  their  ankles.  He  said  they  were  governed  by 
a  king  and  queen  who  were  enormously  tall.  Peter  Martyr 
gives  the  following  account,  which  he  learned  from  this 
native,  of  the  method  by  which  this  great  stature  was 
attained : 

"This  king,  being  asked  why  he  and  his  wife  were  so 
remarkably  tall  and  the  other  people  not,  replied  that  their 
height  was  not  hereditary,  but  that  it  had  been  caused  by 
violent  treatment.  While  they  were  infants  in  the  charge 
of  nurses  their  parents  sent  for  those  practising  the  art, 
who  anointed  their  limbs  for  a  number  of  days  with  certain 
decoctions  of  herbs  to  soften  their  tender  bones,  which  in 
time  became  as  pliable  as  lukewarm  wax.  They  then 
stretched  their  limbs,  often  leaving  them  almost  dead. 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


341 


Thereupon,  the  nurses,  who  had  been  fed  certain  strength- 
producing  meats,  suckled  them,  the  infants  being  covered 
with  warm  cloths.  When  they  had  again  regained  their 
vigor  the  practitioners  again  twisted  and  pulled  their  bones 
as  they  had  previously  done.  This  treatment  was  repeated 
from  time  to  time  until  their  limbs  were  lengthened  so 
much  that  when  they  reached  maturity  they  had  the  desired 
tallness." 

Another  historian,  Gonzales  Barcia,  has  preserved  for  us 
this  account  of  the  people  of  a  country  called  Inzignanin. 
It  was  also  doubtless  a  production  of  Francisco  Chicora's 
lively  imagination.  uThe  inhabitants,  by  report  of  their 
ancestors,  say  that  a  people  as  tall  as  the  length  of  a  man's 
arm,  with  tails  of  a  span  long,  sometimes  arrived  there, 
brought  thither  by  sea,  which  tail  was  not  movable  or 
wavering  as  in  four-footed  beasts,  but  solid,  broad  above, 
and  sharp  beneath,  as  we  see  in  fishes  and  crocodiles,  and 
extends  into  a  bony  hardness.  Wherefore,  when  they 
desired  to  sit,  they  used  seats  with  holes  through  them,  or 
wanting  them,  digged  up  the  earth  a  span  deep  or  a  little 
more,  for  they  must  convey  their  tails  into  the  hole  when 
they  rest  them." 

De  Ayllon  received  from  Charles  V.  a  grant  conferring 
upon  him  the  title  of  adelantado  and  the  possession  of  the 
land  which  he  had  discovered.  But  he  acquired  little  profit 
from  these  acquisitions,  his  colonists  being  massacred  by 
the  natives,  and  he  himself  dying  in  1526.  Galvam  says: 
u  He  was  lost  with  all  his  company,  leaving  nothing  done 
worthy  of  memory.  And  I  cannot  tell  how  it  cometh  to 
pass,  except  it  be  by  the  just  judgment  of  God,  that  of  so 
much  gold  and  precious  stones  as  have  been  gotten  in  the 
Antilles  by  so  many  Spaniards,  little  or  none  remaineth, 
but  the  most  part  is  spent  and  consumed  and  no  good 
thing  done." 

The  time  had  now  come  when  the  true  geographical 
nature  of  these  newly  discovered  and  vast  tracts  of  land 


342 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


was  to  be  revealed.  The  possibility  of  sailing  around  the 
globe  had  hitherto  been  nothing  more  than  a  scientific 
theory.  It  was  for  the  Portuguese  navigator  Fernao  de 
Magalhaes  to  immortalize  his  name  by  putting  this  theory 
to  the  test;  and  in  thus  doing  he  exploded  the  belief, 
which  was  still  extant,  that  Columbus  and  his  followers 
had  reached  the  shores  of  Asia.  His  historian,  Antonio 
Pigafetta,  says : 

"The  captain-general,  Fernao  de  Magalhaes,  had  deter 
mined  to  undertake  a  long  voyage  across  the  ocean  where 
the  winds  are  violent  and  storms  quite  frequent.  He  also 
resolved  to  take  a  course  not  yet  explored  by  any  navigator, 
but  this  bold  purpose  he  was  cautious  in  disclosing  lest 
someone  should  try  to  dissuade  him  from  it  by  magnifying 
the  risk  he  would  run  and  thus  dishearten  his  men.  Be 
sides  the  danger  common  to  a  voyage  like  this  one  was  the 
disadvantageous  circumstance  that  the  four  other  vessels 
under  his  command  were  in  charge  of  captains  inimical  to 
him  solely  because  he  was  a  Portuguese  and  they  were 
Spaniards." 

Magalhaes  sailed  from  Seville  on  August  10,  1519.  He 
reached  Rio  Janeiro  on  the  I3th  of  December.  From  thence 
he  coasted  southward  forty-nine  degrees  to  Port  St.  Julian, 
where  he  found  a  race  of  giants.  This  was  in  May,  1520. 
He  still  continued  southward  until  the  2ist  of  October, 
when  he  discovered  a  strait  which  he  named  the  Strait  of 
the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins.  Bravely  entering  this,  de 
spite  the  fears  and  the  earnest  opposition  of  his  sailors,  on 
the  28th  of  November,  1520,  Magalhaes  left  the  passage 
which  was  afterward  called  by  his  name,  and  emerged  upon 
the  hitherto  unexplored  expanse  of  the  Pacific.  This  name 
he  gave  to  the  western  ocean  "  on  account  of  our  not  having 
experienced  during  this  period  any  tempestuous  weather." 
By  this  he  refers  to  the  three  months  and  twenty  days 
during  which  he  sailed  on  this  vast  ocean.  He  steered 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


343 


northwest  by  west  until,  after  crossing  the  equator,  he 
changed  his  course  to  west  by  north.  He  was  in  search 
of  Cape  Catecara,  the  southern  extremity  of  India,  which 
Ptolemy  had  placed  in  one  hundred  and  eighty  degrees  of 
longitude  from  the  Canaries  and  south  of  the  equator. 
Varying  his  course  in  search  of  this  point,  he  discovered 
the  Ladrones  and  then  the  Philippine  Islands  in  April,  1521. 
On  one  of  these  the  brave  navigator  was  slain  in  an  en 
gagement  with  the  natives.  But  his  fleet  continued  its 
journey  until  the  6th  of  November,  when  were  discovered 
the  Moluccas,  or  the  long  sought  after  Spice  Islands.  From 
thence  one  ship,  the  Victoria,  continued  the  voyage  by  way 
of  the  coast  of  Africa,  reaching  Seville  on  the  8th  of  Sep 
tember,  1522,  having  sailed  fourteen  thousand  six  hundred 
leagues.  This  voyage  was  only  second  in  its  results  to 
that  of  Columbus.  It  disabused  men's  minds  of  that  enor 
mous  geographical  error  which  prompted  the  hope  by  which 
Columbus  was  induced  to  sail  westward.  It  ascertained 
and  outlined  the  immense  southern  extension  of  the  great 
continent  which  lay  between  the  Atlantic  and  Cathay. 
Magalhaes  was  thus  the  pioneer  in  the  exploration  of  an 
ocean  of  whose  existence  Columbus  did  not  dream ;  indeed, 
the  Genoese  held  to  a  cosmography  which  afforded  it  no 
room  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

So  much  of  the  coast  outline  having  been  explored,  it 
was  now  time  that  the  vast  interior  of  North  America 
should  be  traversed.  If  we  except  CorteVs  invasion  of 
Mexico,  comparatively  little  inland  exploration  had  thus 
far  been  accomplished.  The  first  account  of  the  crossing 
from  ocean  to  ocean,  thrilling  as  it  must  naturally  be,  is 
rendered  the  more  romantic  owing  to  the  circumstances  by 
which  it  was  attended. 

A  new  expedition  to  Florida,  projected  in  Spain  in  the 
year  1527,  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Panfilo  de 
Narvaez.  This  explorer  had  been  the  lieutenant  of  Velas 
quez  in  Cuba,  and  in  carrying  out  the  latter's  purposes,  as 
well  as  his  own,  had  exhibited  more  than  the  ordinary 


344 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


Spanish  indifference  toward  the  sufferings  of  the  natives. 
In  the  sequel  to  this  new  expedition  he  met  his  retribution. 
On  July  17,  1527,  Narvaez  set  sail  from  San  Lucar  with 
five  ships  and  about  six  hundred  sailors,  soldiers,  and  colo 
nists.  With  him  were  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  who  held  the 
office  of  treasurer  and  high  sheriff,  and  Father  Juan  Xuarez, 
commissary  of  the  Franciscan  Friars.  The  officers  for  the 
new  towns  that  were  to  be  founded  were  all  appointed  and 
endowed  with  their  high-sounding,  but  as  yet  empty,  titles. 
These  men  were  commissioned  by  the  emperor  to  conquer 
and  settle  all  the  country  extending  from  the  Rio  de  Las 
Palmas  to  the  Cape  of  Florida.  A  terrific  hurricane  struck 
the  fleet  at  Cuba,  which  caused  the  postponement  of  the 
voyage  to  Florida  until  February,  1528.  On  the  2Oth  of 
that  month,  Narvaez  set  sail  with  four  ships  and  a  brigan- 
tine,  and  a  company  which  had  been  reduced  to  four  hun 
dred  men.  On  April  I4th,  he  was  at  the  peninsula  west 
of  Tampa  Bay.  Herrera  describes  how  Narvaez  formally 
took  possession  of  the  territory  in  the  name  of  Spain.  He 
had  with  him  an  official  document  which  he  had  been  com 
manded  by  the  government  to  read  in  the  hearing  of  the 
natives.  It  consisted  of  a  proclamation  "in  behalf  of 
the  Catholic  Caesarean  Majesty  Don  Carlos,  King  of  the 
Romans,  and  Emperor  ever  Augustus,  and  Dona  Juana, 
his  mother,  Sovereigns  of  Leon  and  Castilla,  Defenders  of 
the  Church,  ever  victors,  never  vanquished,  and  rulers 
of  barbarous  nations."  This  document  went  on  to  recite 
to  the  natives  how  the  Lord  had  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth;  how  all  peoples  were  the  descendants  of  Adam  and 
Eve;  how  all  nations  were  given  by  the  Lord  to  St.  Peter 
and  the  popes,  his  successors,  and  how  one  of  these  popes 
had  made  a  present  of  the  particular  people  then  addressed 
to  a  former  King  of  Spain.  It  ended  with  the  warning 
that  unless  the  natives  incontinently  became  Christians  and 
recognized  themselves  as  loyal  subjects  of  Charles  V., 
Narvaez  would  "  take  the  persons  of  yourselves,  your  wives 
and  your  children,  to  make  slaves,  sell  and  dispose  of  you, 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        345 

as  their  majesties  shall  think  fit,  and  I  will  take  your  goods, 
doing  you  all  the  evil  and  injury  that  I  may  be  able,  as  to 
vassals  who  do  not  obey  but  reject  their  master,  resist  and 
deny  him."  Inasmuch  as  all  the  natives  who  lived  near 
the  shore  had  immediately  run  away  into  the  woods  at  the 
approach  of  the  white  men,  and  inasmuch  as  this  solemn 
proclamation,  even  if  they  had  stopped  to  listen  to  it,  was 
couched  in  the  language  of  Castile,  it  is  not  to  be  presumed 
that  its  reading  had  any  noticeable  effect  on  the  Indians  of 
Florida. 

Narvaez  was  determined  to  ascertain  what  were  the 
characteristics  and  the  resources  of  his  possessions.  While 
he  did  not,  like  Cortes,  destroy  his  ships,  he  reached  the 
same  result  by  deciding  that  they  should  sail  along  the  coast 
in  search  of  Panuco,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  explored 
the  shore.  This  determination  was  vigorously  but  unsuc 
cessfully  opposed  by  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  who  feared  the  mis 
chance  of  the  divided  companies  not  being  able  to  find  each 
other  again.  The  sequel  justified  his  forebodings.  But  it 
must  be  said  to  the  credit  of  this  brave  man  that  he  volun 
tarily  relinquished  the  opportunity  which  was  given  him  to 
take  the  safer  command  of  the  vessels.  Alvaro  de  la  Corda, 
upon  whom  this  command  devolved,  after  vainly  searching, 
first  for  the  harbor  of  Panuco  and  then  for  Narvaez  and 
his  company,  during  a  whole  twelvemonth,  returned  to 
Spain.  Narvaez,  on  leaving  the  vessels,  explored  the  coun 
try  to  the  northward  until  they  reached  the  river  Withla- 
coochee.  This  they  crossed  by  means  of  rafts,  and  found 
on  the  opposite  side  an  Indian  village  where  they  were 
enabled  to  restock  with  provisions,  of  which  they  stood  in 
dire  need.  While  at  the  head  of  Tampa  Bay,  Narvaez  had 
seen  some  gold,  which  he  understood  from  the  natives 
had  come  from  a  region  called  Appalachee.  He  made  this 
place  the  object  of  his  assiduous  search.  After  an  arduous 
and  most  trying  journey,  they  came  to  an  Indian  town  of 
that  name  on  June  25th.  It  was  probably  not  far  from  the 
present  city  of  Tallahassee.  But  instead  of  their  eyes  being 


346  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

greeted  by  a  rich  city  and  natives  splendidly  bedizened  like 
those  which  had  enraptured  Cortes  and  his  followers  in 
Mexico,  they  were  sorely  disappointed  to  find  only  thatched 
huts  and  natives  with  nothing  about  their  appearance  so 
noticeable  as  their  lack  of  apparel. 

From  this  time  on,  the  path  of  the  expedition  was  beset 
with  the  most  appalling  hardships  and  disastrous  misfor 
tunes.  Surrounded  by  hostile  Indians,  against  whom  they 
hardly  had  strength  to  defend  themselves,  Narvaez  and  his 
men  found  their  number  daily  diminishing.  Desperate 
must  have  been  their  plight,  for  we  are  told  that  a  horse 
was  drowned  while  crossing  a  stream;  and  they  knew  not 
whether  to  rejoice  more  for  the  meat  thus  provided  or  mourn 
the  loss  of  a  valuable  helper.  Disappointed  in  their  search, 
and  disheartened  by  hunger  and  fatigue,  their  only  hope 
was  to  reach  the  sea.  This  at  last  they  succeeded  in  doing, 
coming  out  somewhere  on  Appalachee  Bay.  Here,  despair 
ing  of  meeting  with  their  ships,  they  determined  to  build 
boats  in  order  to  get  away  from  so  inhospitable  and  profitless 
a  country.  This  undertaking,  lacking  as  they  did  material 
and  appliances,  and  also  the  means  of  subsistence,  would 
seem  like  a  wild  and  desperate  resort  to  the  impossible. 
But  those  Spanish  explorers  were  not  wont  to  succumb 
easily  to  their  fate.  They  constructed  a  rude  forge,  and 
out  of  the  iron  of  their  armor  and  harness  they  constructed 
what  served  in  place  of  saws  and  hammers  and  nails. 
Their  shirts  they  transformed  into  sails.  They  killed  and 
ate  their  horses,  making  the  hair  of  the  manes  and  tails  of 
those  animals  into  ropes  for  rigging  and  their  hides  into 
bottles  in  which  to  store  water  for  the  projected  voyage. 
At  last  five  boats  were  completed,  and  on  the  22d  of  Sep 
tember,  1528,  Narvaez  and  the  small  remnant  of  his  party 
embarked.  In  all  there  were  two  hundred  and  forty-two 
who  had  survived  the  hardships  and  the  attacks  of  the 
Indians.  With  extreme  difficulty,  and  amid  fearful  dangers, 
they  coasted  along  the  north  shore  of  the  Gulf,  crossing  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  continued  until  they  came 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        347 

near  the  Bay  of  Matagorda.  Here  Cabeza  de  Vaca  and  the 
crew  of  one  of  the  boats  were  cast  ashore  in  a  storm,  while 
the  other  boats  went  on  to  fall  a  prey  at  last  to  the  Indians, 
or  to  be  driven  out  to  perish  at  sea.  The  latter  was  the 
fate  of  Narvaez. 

The  remainder  of  the  story  relates  only  to  Cabeza  de 
Vaca.  Cast  on  an  island  which  they  called  Malhado,  or 
Misfortune,  he  and  his  companions  remained  a  year  living 
with  the  Indians  and  subsisting  on  the  roots  which  the  latter 
dug  from  under  the  water.  For  six  years  this  indomitable 
adventurer  remained  in  that  part  of  the  country,  until  nearly 
all  his  companions  had  perished,  or  had  wandered  away  to 
meet  death  by  sickness  or  at  the  hands  of  the  natives.  At  last, 
with  the  three  companions  who  were  the  sole  survivors  of 
the  expedition,  he  determined  to  make  his  escape  from  the 
Indians  by  whom  they  had  been  enslaved.  By  this  time 
they  were  as  naked  and  as  destitute  as  the  savages,  whose 
mode  of  life  they  were  compelled  by  necessity  to  imitate. 
The  only  advantage  they  possessed  consisted  in  the  fact 
that  the  natives  believed  them  to  be  endowed  with  the 
power  of  healing.  By  skilfully  trading  upon  this  credulity 
they  were  enabled  to  secure  for  themselves  the  means  of 
subsistence.  They  determined  to  travel,  with  the  hope  that 
at  last  they  might  reach  some  land  where  they  would  find 
Christians.  With  this  slight  prospect  of  relief  in  view,  they 
traversed  Texas  and  the  northern  part  or"  Mexico,  until  at 
last  they  reached  the  Gulf  of  California;  and  thus  these 
four  were  the  first  to  cross  the  continent  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific.  They  reached  the  City  of  Mexico  on  the 
24th  of  July,  1536,  over  eight  years  from  the  time  when 
De  Vaca  and  his  companions  were  cast  ashore  on  the  island 
of  Malhado. 

Cabeza  de  Vaca  returned  to  Spain  with  the  hope  that  he 
might  be  appointed  to  the  governorship  of  Florida,  an  an 
ticipation  which  his  toil  and  suffering  in  the  cause  of  dis 
covery  might  well  warrant  him  in  cherishing.  But  this 
reward  had  already  been  conferred  upon  Hernando  de  Soto, 


348  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

whose  previous  labors  had  been  more  profitable  to  Spain, 
and  whose  subsequent  journeyings  have  been  awarded  a 
greater  fame  in  history.  De  Soto  was  born  in  Barcarrota 
about  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  He  early 
threw  himself  into  the  stream  of  adventure  which  flowed 
westward,  served  under  Cordova  in  Nicaragua,  and  sub 
sequently  won  great  renown  with  Pizarro  in  the  con 
quest  of  Peru.  On  the  2Oth  of  April,  1537,  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.  commissioned  him  to  conquer  and  colonize  the 
provinces  which  had  been  granted  to  De  Ayllon.  For  some 
reason,  known  only  to  himself,  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  on  his 
return  to  Spain,  included  in  his  sufficiently  sensational 
story  of  his  wanderings  a  graphic  account  of  great  riches 
which  he  had  seen.  He  declared  that  Florida  was  the  richest 
country  in  the  world.  This  fired  the  Spaniards  with  lust 
for  the  adventure,  and  De  Soto  found  no  difficulty  in  man 
ning  his  expedition.  High  officials  and  grandees  of  Spain 
volunteered,  until  the  number  was  so  great  that  the  ships 
could  not  contain  them.  On  April  6,  1538,  he  sailed  from 
San  Lucar  with  a  fleet  of  ten  vessels,,  The  following  is 
the  account  written  by  a  participant  and  an  eyewitness 
of  the  things  which  De  Soto  did,  and  that  which  befell  him 
on  this  ever  memorable  journey : 

A  narrative  of  the  expedition  of  Hernando  de  Soto,  by 
Luis  Hernandez  de  Biedma,  presented  to  the  King  and 
Council  of  the  Indies,  1544. 

"  Having  arrived  at  the  Port  of  Baya  Honda,  we  landed 
six  hundred  and  twenty  men,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  horses.  As  soon  as  we  had  done  so,  we  were  in 
formed  by  one  of  the  Indians  we  had  captured  that  a 
Christian  was  living  a  few  leagues  off",  who  had  served  in 
the  expedition  of  Panfilo  de  Narvaez.  The  cacique  of 
this  province,  on  hearing  we  had  landed,  asked  the  Chris 
tian  if  he  wished  to  return  to  us.  He  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  and  immediately  sent  him,  with  nine  Indians, 
to  our  camp.  His  body  was  naked,  and  in  his  hand  he 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        349 

had  a  bow  and  arrows.  As  soon  as  we  perceived  them 
coming  we  took  them  for  spies,  and  marched  out  to  meet 
them,  but  they  fled  in  every  direction.  The  horsemen 
dashed  after  them  and  wounded  one  of  the  Indians,  and 
would  have  killed  the  Christian  if  he  had  not  invoked  the 
Virgin  Mary  and  made  signs  that  he  was  a  Christian,  for 
he  had  almost  forgotten  to  speak  our  language.  He  was 
immediately  conducted  to  the  governor.  He  stated  that  he 
had  been  twelve  years  among  the  Indians,  and  spoke  their 
language  perfectly;  but  that  he  was  unacquainted  with  the 
country,  and  was  unable  to  tell  us  anything  about  it,  except 
that  there  was  no  gold  in  it. 

"  We  now  set  out  from  the  Port  of  Baya  Honda,  to  pene 
trate  the  interior  of  the  country,  with  all  the  troops  except 
twenty-six  horsemen  and  sixty  foot  soldiers,  which  we  left 
behind  to  defend  the  fort,  until  they  should  receive  orders 
from  the  governor  to  join  him.  We  marched  in  a  westerly 
direction,  and  then  northeast.  We  heard  of  a  cacique  who 
received  tribute  from  all  the  nations.  His  name  was  Hurri- 
pacuxi,  and  lived  about  twelve  leagues  from  the  coast.  We 
continued  to  march  across  swamps  and  rivers  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  leagues,  and  reached  a  village  about  which  we  had 
been  told  strange  stories.  Among  others,  they  pretended 
that  when  the  inhabitants  shouted  aloud,  the  birds  flying  in 
the  air  would  fall  dead  to  the  ground.  We  arrived  at  a 
small  village  called  Eto-cale  [near  the  Suwanee] .  Here  we 
found  some  Indian  corn,  beans,  and  little  dogs,  which  was 
not  a  meal  for  our  hungry  army.  We  remained  here  seven 
or  eight  days,  during  which  time  we  made  an  attempt  to 
entrap  some  Indians,  to  serve  us  as  guides  to  the  province  of 
Apalache.  We  then  set  out  in  the  direction  of  New  Spain, 
marching  ten  or  twelve  leagues  from  the  coast.  After  five 
or  six  days'  journey,  we  passed  some  hamlets,  and  arrived  at 
a  village  called  Aquacalecuen,  when  we  found  the  Indians 
had  fled  to  the  woods. 

"We  remained  here  five  or  six  days  to  procure  guides, 
and  took  with  us  ten  or  twelve  women,  one  of  whom 


350 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


informed  us  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  cacique,  who 
afterwards  joined  us.  After  six  or  seven  days'  journey,  we 
met  a  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  armed  with  bows  and  arrows, 
who  were  watching  an  opportunity  to  rescue  the  cacique  we 
had  brought  with  us.  We  killed  a  few  and  captured  others ; 
among  the  latter  were  some  who  were  acquainted  with  the 
interior  of  the  country.  We  then  passed  a  river,  and  crossed 
a  country  called  Veachile,  where  we  found  a  great  many 
deserted  villages.  We  came  to  a  village  called  Aquile,  on 
the  frontier  of  the  province  of  Apalache,  and  separated 
from  Veachile  by  a  river  [supposed  to  be  the  Suwanee] ,  over 
which  we  threw  a  bridge  of  rafts  tied  together.  We  crossed 
it  with  difficulty,  for  the  Indians  had  posted  themselves  on 
the  opposite  bank,  and  fought  with  great  bravery.  We 
marched  to  the  village  of  Ivi-ta-chuco,  but  as  soon  as  the 
Indians  saw  us  they  set  fire  to  their  village  and  fled.  The 
province  of  Apalache  contains  many  villages,  but  we  found 
provisions  very  scarce  there.  From  Apalache  we  marched 
to  the  province  of  Yustaga.  The  governor  now  thought  it 
time  to  hear  from  those  he  had  left  behind  at  Baya  Honda,  as 
it  was  not  his  intention  to  advance  so  far  into  the  country 
as  to  render  it  impossible  to  have  any  communication  with 
them. 

"We  had  now  travelled  one  hundred  and  ten  leagues,, 
The  governor  went  in  search  of  the  sea,  which  was  nine 
leagues  distant.  We  had  now  come  to  that  part  of  the 
coast  where  Panfilo  de  Narvaez  had  built  his  vessels.  We 
recognized  the  spot  on  which  he  had  built  his  smithy,  and 
saw  a  great  quantity  of  horses'  bones  scattered  about.  The 
Indians  told  us  the  Christians  had  built  their  vessels  here. 
As  soon  as  Juan  de  Anasco  had  marked  the  trees  on  the 
shore,  the  governor  ordered  him  to  go  to  Baya  Honda  and 
send  forward  the  troops  he  had  left  there,  and  to  return 
himself  by  sea  with  the  brigantines  to  Apalache.  As  soon 
as  the  brigantines  had  arrived,  the  governor  sent  them  again 
to  sea,  under  the  command  of  the  Chevalier  Francisco 
Maldonado  de  Salamanca,  to  find  a  port  to  the  east.  He 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        351 

coasted  along  shore  until  he  reached  a  bay  [probably  Pensa- 
cola]  which  had  a  good  harbor.  On  the  bank  of  the  river 
was  an  Indian  village,  some  of  whose  people  came  to  trade 
with  him.  He  spent  two  months  in  making  this  exploration. 
As  soon  as  he  returned,  the  governor  ordered  him  to  take  the 
brigantines,  on  board  of  one  of  which  was  Donna  Isabella 
de  Bobadilla,  to  Havana,  and  on  his  arrival  there,  to  set  sail 
again  with  them  to  the  river  Santo  Espiritu,  where  he  agreed 
to  meet  him  in  six  months,  if  he  should  not  hear  from  him 
sooner. 

"As  soon  as  the  brigantines  had  set  sail  for  Cuba,  we 
began  our  march  to  the  north,  and  journeyed  five  days 
through  a  desert  until  we  came  to  a  large  and  rapid  river, 
which  we  crossed  over  in  boats.  This  province  is  called 
Acapachiqui.  We  observed  some  villages,  but  as  the 
country  was  covered  with  very  extensive  swamps,  we 
could  not  explore  them.  The  Indian  huts  in  this  province 
were  differently  constructed  from  those  we  had  previously 
seen.  They  were  dug  in  the  ground,  and  resembled  caverns, 
while  those  we  had  passed  were  above  ground,  and  covered 
with  branches  of  palm  trees  and  straw.  We  continued  our 
march  until  we  came  to  two  rivers,  which  we  crossed  by 
making  rafts  of  pine  trees,  and  entered  a  province  called 
Otoa,  where  we  found  a  much  larger  village  than  we  had 
yet  seen.  We  captured  some  Indians,  to  serve  us  as  guides 
and  interpreters.  We  took  five  or  six  days  to  cross  this 
country  to  a  province  called  Attapaha.  Here  we  found  a 
river  which  flowed  towards  the  south,  like  those  we  had 
already  passed,  and  emptied  into  the  sea  where  Vasquez  de 
Ayllon  had  landed.  This  province  is  well  peopled.  The 
governor  questioned  the  Indians  about  the  province  of  Cafi- 
tachiqui.  They  told  him  it  was  impossible  to  get  there, 
as  there  were  no  roads,  or  provisions  of  any  kind  which 
he  could  obtain,  and  that  he  must  die  of  hunger  if  he 
attempted  it. 

"Nevertheless,  we  continued  our  march  until  we  came 
to  some  caciques  (Ocute  and  Cofoque),  who  gave  us  some 


352 


DISCO  VER  T  AND  EXPL  ORA  riON 


provisions,  and  told  us  that  if  we  would  declare  war  against 
the  Queen  of  Cafitachiqui  they  would  furnish  us  with  all 
that  we  needed  on  the  road,  and  warned  us  that  they  had 
no  communication  with  her,  as  they  were  at  war  with  her. 
Seeing  that  we  were  resolved  on  going  there,  they  furnished 
us  with  eight  hundred  Indians  to  carry  our  provisions  and 
baggage,  and  guides  who  took  us  in  an  easterly  direction, 
but  after  three  days  we  found  them  deceiving  us,  nor  did 
we  know  which  road  to  take  to  this  province.  The  gov 
ernor  sent  men  in  different  directions  to  find  a  road,  and 
gave  them  each  ten  days  to  go  and  come,  with  orders  to 
report  any  villages  which  they  might  see.  Those  who 
went  in  the  direction  of  south,  and  southeast,  returned  four 
days  after,  and  reported  they  had  found  a  little  hamlet,  and 
some  provisions.  They  brought  with  them  some  Indians, 
who  understood  our  guides,  which  was  very  fortunate  for  us, 
as  we  had  but  few  interpreters.  We  immediately  marched 
for  this  hamlet,  to  wait  there  until  the  messengers  who  had 
gone  in  the  other  direction  could  join  us.  Here  we  found 
fifty  fanegas  of  Indian  corn,  some  wheat,  and  a  great  many 
mulberry  trees,  and  other  wild  fruit.  As  soon  as  the  other 
messengers  came  we  set  out  for  the  village  of  Cafitachiqui, 
which  was  twelve  days'  journey  from  this  hamlet,  situ 
ated  on  the  banks  of  a  river,  which  we  took  for  the  Santa 
Helena  [the  Tennessee] . 

"  When  we  arrived,  the  queen  sent  us  one  of  her  nieces, 
in  a  litter  carried  by  Indians.  She  sent  the  governor  a 
present  of  a  necklace  of  beads,  canoes  to  cross  the  river 
with,  and  gave  us  half  the  village  to  lodge  in.  The  gov 
ernor  opened  a  large  temple  built  in  the  woods,  in  which 
were  buried  the  chiefs  of  the  country,  and  took  from  it  a 
quantity  of  pearls,  amounting  to  six  or  seven  arrobas,  which 
were  spoiled  by  being  buried  in  the  ground.  We  dug  up 
two  Spanish  axes,  a  chaplet  of  wild  olive  seeds,  and  some 
small  beads,  resembling  those  we  had  brought  from  Spain 
for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  the  Indians.  We  conjec 
tured  they  had  obtained  these  things  by  trading  with  the 


Sebastian  Cabot.  From  the  painting  by  Chapman  after  the  original 
attributed  to  Holbein.  No-iu  in  possession  of  the  Historical  Society  of 
Mass  a  cfi  u  setts . 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


353 


companions  of  Vasquez  de  Ayllon.  The  Indians  told  us 
the  sea  was  only  about  thirty  leagues  distant.  They  also 
informed  us  that  Vasquez  de  Ayllon  had  not  penetrated  far 
into  the  country,  but  had  mostly  followed  the  seashore, 
until  his  death.  That  a  large  number  of  his  soldiers  had 
died  of  hunger,  and  out  of  six  hundred  who  had  landed  in 
this  country  with  him  only  fifty-seven  had  escaped. 

"  We  remained  ten  or  twelve  days  in  the  queen's  village, 
and  then  set  out  to  explore  the  country.  We  marched  in 
a  northerly  direction  eight  or  ten  days,  through  a  moun 
tainous  country,  where  there  was  but  little  food,  until  we 
reached  a  province  called  Xuala  [latitude  35°  N.,  the  most 
northerly  point  of  De  Soto's  travels] ,  which  was  thinly 
inhabited.  We  then  ascended  to  the  source  of  the  great 
river,  which  we  supposed  was  the  Santo  Espiritu.  At  the 
village  of  Guasuli,  they  gave  us  a  great  many  dogs,  and 
some  corn  to  eat,  which  served  us  until  we  reached  a  village 
called  Chisca,  where  we  found  an  abundance  of  provisions. 
It  is  built  on  an  island  in  the  Santo  Espiritu  River,  and 
near  its  source.  The  Indians  live  here  in  walled  villages, 
and  make  a  great  deal  of  oil  from  nuts.  We  remained  here 
twenty-six  or  seven  days,  to  rest  our  horses,  which  had 
become  very  thin.  We  continued  our  march  along  this 
river,  until  we  arrived  in  the  province  of  Costehe,  where 
the  villages  were  likewise  built  on  the  islands  of  the  river. 
The  province  of  Coca  is  one  of  the  best  countries  we  have 
seen  in  Florida.  The  cacique  came  to  meet  us,  borne  in  a 
litter,  and  accompanied  by  a  numerous  train.  But  the  next 
morning  his  followers  deserted  him.  We  kept  the  cacique 
a  prisoner  until  he  agreed  to  furnish  us  with  Indians  to 
carry  our  baggage.  In  this  country  we  found  prunes  resem 
bling  those  of  Spain,  and  vines  which  produced  excellent 
grapes. 

"  Leaving  this  province,  we  marched  west  and  southwest 
for  five  or  six  days.  We  passed  a  great  number  of  villages, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  we  entered  the  province  called 
Italisi.  The  inhabitants  fled  in  every  direction;  but  the 


354  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

cacique  came  soon  after,  and  presented  us  with  twenty-six 
or  twenty-seven  women,  and  some  deerskins.  We  then  pro 
ceeded  south,  and,  passing  through  some  villages,  we  arrived 
in  the  province  of  Tuscalusa,  whose  cacique  was  of  such  a 
height  that  we  took  him  for  a  giant.  On  arriving  at  his 
village  we  gave  him  a  tournament,  and  offered  him  other 
amusements,  of  which  he  took  no  notice.  We  requested 
him  to  give  us  some  Indians  to  carry  our  baggage,  which 
he  refused  with  a  sneer.  The  governor  then  took  him  a 
prisoner,  which  greatly  enraged  him,  and  was  the  cause  of 
his  treachery  to  us  afterwards.  He  told  us  that  he  could 
not  give  us  anything  here,  but  we  must  go  to  his  village, 
called  Mauvila,  where  he  would  furnish  us  with  all  the  pro 
visions  we  stood  in  need  of.  We  came  to  a  large  river, 
which  empties  into  the  bay  called  Chuse.  The  Indians 
informed  us  that  Narvaez's  vessels  had  touched  here  for 
water,  and  left  a  Christian  called  Teodoro,  who  was  still 
among  the  Indians.  They  showed  us  a  poignard  which 
had  belonged  to  him.  We  took  two  days  to  construct  a 
raft  to  cross  the  river.  In  the  meantime  the  Indians  killed 
one  of  the  governor's  guard.  The  governor  punished  the 
cacique  for  it,  and  threatened  to  burn  him  alive  if  he  did 
not  deliver  up  the  murderers.  He  then  promised  to  de 
liver  them  up  at  Mauvila.  This  cacique  had  a  number  of 
servants  with  him.  He  had  one  to  brush  off  the  flies,  and 
another  to  carry  a  sunshade. 

"  We  arrived  at  Mauvila  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
It  was  a  village  built  on  a  plain,  and  surrounded  by  strong 
walls.  On  the  outside  the  Indians  had  pulled  down  their 
huts,  so  as  not  to  embarrass  them.  Some  of  the  chiefs  met 
us  and  told  us  we  could  encamp  on  the  plain,  but  the  gov 
ernor  preferred  going  with  them  into  the  town.  We  saw 
only  three  or  four  hundred  Indians,  who  entertained  us  with 
dancing  and  feasting,  but  there  were  hid  in  the  town  five  or 
six  thousand  men,  to  surprise  us.  After  the  dancing  was 
over,  the  cacique  retired  into  one  of  his  huts.  The  governor 
requested  him  to  come  out,  which  he  refused  to  do.  The 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


355 


captain  of  the  governor's  guard  went  in  after  him,  and 
found  it  filled  with  warriors  armed  with  bows  and  arrows. 
He  reported  to  the  governor  what  he  had  seen,  and  told 
him  that  he  suspected  they  were  going  to  commit  some 
treason.  The  governor  then  sent  for  another  cacique,  who 
also  refused  to  come.  The  Indians  now  began  to  shoot 
their  arrows  from  the  loopholes  in  their  houses,  while  others 
discharged  them  from  the  outside.  We  were  not  upon  our 
guard,  as  we  had  supposed  them  friends,  and  consequently 
we  suffered  severely.  We  retreated  to  the  outside  of  the 
village.  Our  baggage  remained  where  it  had  been  thrown 
down,  and  as  soon  as  the  Indians  discovered  we  had  fled 
they  shut  the  gates  of  the  village  and  commenced  to  pillage 
our  baggage. 

"The  governor  ordered  sixty  or  eighty  horsemen  to  ar 
range  themselves  into  four  platoons  and  attack  the  village  in 
four  different  places.  He  directed  the  first  who  should  enter 
the  village  to  set  fire  to  the  houses,  while  the  rest  of  the 
soldiers  were  ordered  not  to  let  any  escape.  We  fought 
from  morning  till  night,  without  a  single  Indian  asking  for 
quarter.  When  night  came,  only  three  Indians  were  found 
left,  guarding  the  twenty  women  who  had  danced  before  us. 
Two  of  these  were  killed,  and  the  other,  ascending  a  tree, 
took  the  string  from  his  bow  and  hanged  himself  from  one 
of  the  limbs.  We  lost  twenty  men  killed,  and  had  two 
hundred  and  fifty  wounded.  During  the  night  we  dressed 
the  wounded  with  the  fat  of  the  slain  Indians,  because  our 
medicine  was  burnt  with  the  baggage.  We  remained  here 
twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight  days,  until  the  wounded  could 
recover.  We  then  departed,  taking  with  us  the  women, 
whom  we  distributed  among  the  wounded  to  nurse  them. 

"  The  Indians  had  told  us  we  were  more  than  forty  leagues 
from  the  sea.  We  desired  the  governor  to  approach  it,  so 
that  we  might  get  some  news  from  the  brigantines,  but  he 
dared  not  do  it,  as  it  was  now  already  in  the  middle  of  No 
vember,  and  he  wished  to  find  a  country  where  there  were 
provisions,  and  where  we  could  go  into  winter  quarters.  We 


356  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

marched  north  ten  or  twelve  days,  suffering  intensely  from 
the  cold,  until  at  length  we  reached  a  fertile  province,  where 
we  went  into  winter  quarters.  The  cold  here  is  greater 
than  in  Spain.  This  province  is  called  Chicaca.  The 
Indians  defended  the  rivers  we  had  to  cross,  but  afterwards 
they  fled  to  the  woods.  In  seven  or  eight  days  after,  the 
cacique  sent  envoys  to  the  governor.  They  were  well 
received  by  him,  and  he  sent  word  to  the  cacique  to  present 
himself.  The  cacique  came  in  a  litter,  and  brought  with 
him  rabbits,  and  whatever  he  could  procure  in  the  country, 
to  give  us  to  eat.  At  night  we  surprised  some  Indians  who 
pretended  they  had  come  into  our  camp  to  see  how  we 
slept.  Suspecting  their  motives,  we  increased  our  guards. 
As  these  Indians  knew  how  we  had  placed  our  guards,  three 
hundred  entered  the  village  and  set  fire  to  it.  They  killed 
fifty-seven  horses,  three  hundred  hogs,  and  thirteen  or  four 
teen  of  our  men,  and  afterwards  fled. 

"  We  remained  here  the  next  day,  in  a  very  bad  condition. 
We  had  a  few  horses  left,  but  we  had  no  saddles,  lances, 
or  shields,  for  all  had  been  burnt.  In  five  days  after,  the 
Indians  renewed  the  attack.  They  marched  to  battle  in 
great  order,  and  attacked  us  on  three  sides.  We  went  out 
to  meet  them,  and  put  them  to  flight.  We  sojourned  here 
two  months,  during  which  time  we  made  saddles,  lances, 
and  shields,  after  which  we  marched  to  the  northwest,  until 
we  reached  the  province  of  Alibamo.  Here  the  Indians 
had  built  a  strong  palisade,  and  had  three  hundred  men  to 
defend  it,  with  orders  to  die  rather  than  to  let  us  pass 
through.  As  soon  as  we  perceived  the  warriors  behind  the 
palisade,  we  thought  they  had  provisions,  or  something 
valuable  behind  it.  We  were  in  great  want  of  provisions, 
and  knew  that  we  had  to  cross  a  great  desert  before  we 
could  find  any.  We  therefore  arranged  ourselves  into 
two  divisions,  and  attacked  the  enemy.  We  carried  the 
palisade,  but  we  lost  seven  or  eight  men,  and  had  twenty- 
five  wounded.  We  found  enough  provisions  behind  the 
palisade  to  last  us  our  journey  of  ten  or  twelve  days  through 


SPANISH  EXPLORAriON  OF  THE  INTERIOR         35  y 

the  desert.  The  wounded  and  sick  gave  us  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,  and  on  the  last  day  we  very  unexpectedly  entered 
a  village  called  Quiz  Quiz.  The  people  here  were  poor 
and  miserable,  and  were  working  their  corn  fields  when  we 
entered  it.  The  village  was  built  on  the  banks  of  the  Santo 
EspiritUo  It  was  tributary,  like  many  others,  to  the  sovereign 
of  Pacaha,, 

"  We  left  the  village,  to  encamp  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 
Here  we  found  the  Indians  had  gathered  to  dispute  our  pas 
sage.  They  had  with  them  a  great  number  of  canoes.  We 
remained  here  twenty-eight  or  twenty-nine  days,  and  built 
four  large  pirogues,  capable  of  containing  seventy  or  eighty 
men  each,  and  five  or  six  horses.  In  the  meantime,  every 
day,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  Indians  got  into 
two  hundred  and  fifty  canoes,  dressed  with  flags,  and  ap 
proached  our  side  of  the  river  to  shoot  their  arrows  at  us, 
but  as  soon  as  we  had  finished  our  pirogues  they  made  a 
precipitate  retreat.  The  river  [Mississippi]  here  was  about 
a  league  wide,  and  from  nineteen  to  twenty  fathoms  deep. 
We  ascended  this  river  to  the  province  of  Pacaha,  but  be 
fore  we  arrived  there  we  came  to  another  province,  whose 
sovereign  was  named  Yeasqui.  He  came  to  us  and  professed 
a  great  deal  of  friendship,  but  he  was  at  war  with  the  nation 
we  had  just  left.  He  was  well  received  by  the  governor, 
and  that  night  we  encamped  on  a  plain  in  sight  of  his 
village,  where  we  remained  two  days.  The  caciques  of 
this  country  make  a  custom  of  raising,  near  their  dwellings, 
very  high  hills,  on  which  they  sometimes  build  their  huts. 
On  one  of  these  we  planted  the  cross,  and  went  with  much 
devotion  on  our  knees  to  kiss  the  foot  of  it.  On  the  same 
evening  we  returned  to  our  camp,  and  on  the  following 
morning  we  set  out  for  Pacaha.  We  journeyed  two  days, 
and  reached  a  village  in  the  midst  of  a  plain  surrounded  by 
walls,  and  a  ditch  filled  with  water,  which  had  been  made 
by  the  Indians.  We  approached  it  cautiously,  and  when 
we  got  near  it  we  saw  the  inhabitants  going  ofF.  We  en 
tered  it  without  any  trouble,  and  took  a  few  Indians.  While 


358  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

we  remained  here  the  cacique  whom  we  had  left  behind  us 
joined  us,  with  a  numerous  troop  of  Indians,  and  offered 
to  assist  us.  The  governor  received  him  graciously,  and 
presented  him  with  all  the  treasures  we  had  found  in  the 
village,  after  which  he  went  away  quietly. 

"  We  remained  at  this  village  twenty-six  or  twenty-seven 
days,  anxious  to  learn  if  we  could  take  the  northern  route, 
and  cross  to  the  South  Sea.  We  then  marched  northeast, 
where  we  were  told  we  would  find  large  towns.  We  travelled 
eight  days  through  swamps,  after  which  we  met  a  troop  of 
Indians  who  lived  under  movable  tents.  They  informed 
us  that  there  were  other  tribes  like  themselves,  who  pitched 
their  tents  wherever  they  found  deer,  and  carried  their  tents 
and  provisions  with  them  on  their  backs  from  place  to 
place,,  We  next  came  to  the  province  of  Calusu  The 
natives  attend  but  little  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  and 
live  principally  on  fish  and  game.  Seeing  there  was  no  way 
of  reaching  the  South  Sea,  we  returned  to  the  north,  and 
afterwards  in  a  southwest  direction,  to  a  province  called 
Quigata  [near  Little  Rock,  Arkansas] ,  where  we  found  the 
largest  village  we  had  yet  seen  in  our  travels.  It  was  situ 
ated  on  one  of  the  branches  of  a  great  river.  We  remained 
here  six  or  eight  days  to  procure  guides  and  interpreters, 
with  the  intention  of  finding  the  sea.  The  Indians  in 
formed  us  there  was  a  province,  eleven  days  ofF,  where  they 
killed  buffaloes,  and  where  we  could  find  guides  to  conduct 
us  to  the  sea. 

"  We  set  out  for  this  province,  which  they  called  Coligua. 
There  was  no  road  leading  to  it,  and  every  day  brought  us 
to  a  swamp,  where  we  feasted  on  fish.  We  then  crossed 
vast  plains  and  high  mountains,  when  suddenly  we  came 
to  the  town  of  Coligua,  where  we  found  an  abundance  of 
provisions  and  a  quantity  of  dry  hides.  We  inquired  here 
for  other  villages,  and  they  directed  us  to  go  west  and 
southwest  and  we  should  find  them.  We  accordingly  fol 
lowed  their  direction,  and  came  to  some  scattered  villages 
bearing  the  name  of  Tatel  Coya,  Here  we  found  a  large 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


359 


river  [St.  Francis] ,  emptying  into  the  Rio  Grande.  We 
were  told  that  if  we  were  to  ascend  this  river  we  should 
find  a  large  province  called  Cayas,  We  repaired  thither, 
and  found  it  a  mountainous  country,  and  composed  of  popu 
lous  villages.  We  then  set  out  for  the  province  of  Tula 
to  go  into  winter  quarters.  But  before  reaching  it  we 
had  to  cross  very  high  mountains.  We  came  to  an  Indian 
village,  where  they  defended  themselves  so  bravely  that  we 
lost  seven  or  eight  men  and  as  many  horses.  The  follow 
ing  morning  the  governor  took  guides,  and  ordered  the 
troops  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  to  the  next  province, 
which  the  Indians  called  Quipana,  situated  at  the  foot  of 
very  high  mountains.  From  thence  we  turned  towards  the 
east,  and  crossing  these  mountains  we  descended  into  an 
inhabited  plain,  favorable  to  our  designs,  and  where  there 
was  a  large  village  built  on  the  banks  of  a  river  [the  Ar 
kansas]  which  emptied  into  the  great  river  we  had  passed. 
This  province  was  called  Vicanque.  Here  we  went  into 
winter  quarters,  and  suffered  so  much  from  the  cold  and 
snow  that  we  thought  we  should  all  have  perished. 

"The  Christian  whom  we  took,  and  who  had  served  us 
as  an  interpreter,  died  in  this  place.  In  the  beginning  of 
March  we  descended  this  river,  passing  through  populous 
provinces,  until  we  came  at  last  to  a  country  the  Indians 
called  Anicoyanque.  A  cacique  called  Guachoyanque  came 
to  see  us.  He  lived  on  the  banks  of  the  Great  River, 
The  governor  set  out  immediately  with  the  cacique  for  the 
village  of  Guachoyanque.  His  village  was  fortified  and 
well  surrounded  by  walls.  At  this  place  the  governor  had 
determined  to  build  some  brigantines  to  send  to  Cuba,  to 
let  them  know  that  he  was  still  alive.  He  sent  his  captain 
to  find  out  the  direction  of  the  sea.  He  returned  in  a 
few  days,  saying  that  the  vast  swamps  which  the  Great 
River  had  formed  prevented  him  from  doing  so.  At  length 
the  governor,  finding  his  situation  becoming  every  day  more 
embarrassing,  and  his  affairs  going  wrong,  fell  sick  and  died. 
He  appointed  Luis  de  Moscoso  his  successor.  Not  finding 


360  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

any  way  of  reaching  the  sea  by  the  Great  River,  Luis  de 
Moscoso  determined  on  going  by  land  to  Mexico.  When 
we  set  out,  we  travelled  twenty-seven  days  in  a  westerly 
direction  to  the  province  of  Chaviti,  where  the  Indians 
made  salt.  From  thence  we  went  in  three  days  to  the 
province  of  Aguacay. 

"  The  Indians  told  us  here  that  the  country  beyond  was  a 
wilderness  and  uninhabited.  That  to  find  villages  we  must 
go  towards  the  southeast.  We  then  came  to  a  province 
called  Nissione,  then  to  Naudacho  and  Lacame.  We  made 
inquiries  here  about  the  province  of  Xuacatino.  The  cacique 
of  Naudacho  gave  us  a  guide  to  conduct  us  through  the 
country.  He  led  us  accordingly  into  a  wilderness,  and 
when  we  got  there  he  told  us  that  his  master  had  ordered 
him  to  take  us  to  a  country  where  we  should  die  with 
hunger.  We  now  took  another  guide,  who  conducted  us 
to  the  province  of  Hais,  where  we  saw  buffaloes,  but  the 
Indians  prevented  us  from  killing  them.  We  came  to 
Xuacatino,  and  passed  some  small  villages,  without  finding 
any  provisions.  We  then  returned  towards  the  south,  de 
termined  to  die  or  reach  New  Spain.  We  continued  to  march 
in  this  direction  eight  or  nine  days  more,  hoping  to  provide 
ourselves  with  provisions  for  the  journey.  We  arrived  at 
last  at  some  miserable  huts,  where  the  Indians  lived  by 
hunting  and  fishing,  and,  finding  that  our  corn  must  soon 
give  out,  we  resolved  to  return  to  the  village  where  Gov 
ernor  de  Soto  had  died,  to  build  some  vessels  to  return  to  our 
country.  But  when  we  arrived  there  we  did  not  find  the 
facilities  we  had  expected,  and  were  obliged  to  seek  another 
place,  to  go  into  winter  quarters  and  build  our  vessels. 

"  God  permitted  us  to  find  two  villages  to  suit  our  purposes, 
upon  the  Great  River.  These  villages  were  fortified.  We  re 
mained  here  six  months  to  build  seven  brigantines.  We 
launched  them  on  the  river,  and  it  was  a  miracle  they  did 
not  leak.  They  sailed  well,  although  they  were  calked 
with  the  thin  bark  of  mulberry  trees.  When  we  embarked 
the  troops,  we  intended,  if  we  could  find  a  village  on  the 


SPANISH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        361 

seashore,  to  stop  there  until  we  could  send  two  brigantines 
with  despatches  to  the  Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  to  send  us 
vessels  to  return  in  to  Spain.  On  the  second  day  out,  as 
we  were  descending  the  river,  some  forty  or  fifty  canoes 
came  towards  us,  in  one  of  which  were  eighty  warriors. 
They  shot  arrows  at  us,  and  captured  some  of  the  small 
canoes  we  had  taken  with  us,  in  which  were  twelve  of  our 
best  soldiers.  The  current  of  the  river  was  so  rapid  that 
we  could  not  go  to  their  assistance.  Encouraged  by  this 
victory,  the  Indians  continued  to  harass  us  until  we  reached 
the  sea,  which  took  us  nineteen  days.  They  soon  dis 
covered  that  we  had  neither  arquebuses  nor  crossbows  to 
reach  them.  The  only  arms  we  had  were  some  swords 
and  shields,  consequently  they  had  nothing  to  fear  from  us. 
We  entered  the  sea  through  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  river, 
and  for  three  days  and  nights  we  could  not  see  land,  but 
after  that  we  came  in  sight  of  it,  and  took  in  some  water 
to  drink.  At  length  we  perceived  towards  the  west  some 
small  islands,  which  we  followed,  keeping  close  to  the 
shore,  to  find  something  to  eat,  until  we  entered  the  river 
Panuco,  where  we  were  kindly  received  by  the  inhabitants." 

The  wanderings  of  De  Soto  and  his  men  covered  a  period 
of  four  long  and  miserable  years  over  the  southern  part  of 
what  is  now  the  United  States,  including,  probably,  portions 
of  the  territory  of  the  States  of  Florida,  Georgia,  Arkansas, 
Mississippi,  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and  Texas.  It  was  in  1541 
that  they  reached  Mississippi  River,  his  company  being  the 
first  white  men  to  gaze  on  its  tawny  flood  above  the  mouth. 
If  De  Soto  failed  to  achieve  the  object  of  his  undertaking, 
if  the  rich  countries  he  hoped  to  find  had  eluded  his  quest 
and  he  was  denied  the  honor  of  crossing  the  great  continent 
to  which  all  eyes  were  turned,  yet  he  lifted,  over  a  large 
area,  the  veil  of  mystery  that  shrouded  it,  and  gave  a  definite 
knowledge  to  the  world  of  what  lay  behind  the  coast  line 
that  his  predecessors  had  traced,  and  his  name  will  forever 
be  linked  with  those  of  the  pioneers  of  western  discovery. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  VOYAGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH 

CONTRARY  to  her  usual  conduct  in  the  great  affairs  of 
human  history,  France  was  dilatory  in  taking  part  in  the 
discoveries  in  the  New  World.  She  saw  the  kings  of  Eng 
land  patronizing  expeditions  which  added  continents  to  the 
known  world;  she  saw  Portugal  annexing  Brazil,  as  well 
as  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  to  her  realm;  she  saw  Spain 
carving  out  for  herself  in  America  domains  teeming  with 
unexampled  wealth,  before  she  made  any  move  to  take 
part  in  these  enterprises.  It  was  not  until  the  year  1523 
that  France,  as  a  nation,  became  awakened  to  the  possi 
bilities  of  the  west.  But  though  her  rulers  and  leading  men 
were  absorbed  in  other  interests,  the  hardy  mariners  of 
Brittany  and  the  coast  of  Normandy  were  early  led  to  turn 
their  prows  in  the  wake  of  Cabot  and  the  Cortereals. 
Ramusio  tells  us  that  in  1504  the  land  now  known  as  Nova 
Scotia  and  Cape  Breton  was  discovered  by  fishermen  from 
the  northwest  coast  of  France,  and  that  the  name  "  Cape 
Breton"  is  the  seal  and  proof  of  both  their  patriotism  and 
their  enterprise.  The  reports  which  John  Cabot  brought 
home  of  the  codfbh  that  teemed  in  the  waters  off  New 
foundland  and  Labrador  soon  reached  the  fishermen  of 
Dieppe  and  Honfleur,  and  they  immediately  proceeded  to 
further  the  investigations  in  which  the  English  and  the 
Portuguese  had  taken  the  lead.  It  was  not  long  before  it 
became  so  customary  for  vessels  from  Brittany  and  Nor 
mandy  to  frequent  those  shores,  that  it  seemed  to  the  people 

363 


364  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  these  seafaring  provinces  that  such  had  been  their  wont 
from  time  immemorial,  and  in  consequence  a  tradition  arose 
that  their  fishermen  had  not  waited  to  be  shown  the  way  to 
the  west  by  Columbus  and  Cabot. 

But  the  first  authenticated  French  voyage  to  North 
American  shores  was  undertaken  in  1506,  when  a  vessel 
sailed  thither  from  Honfleur  under  the  command  of  Jean 
Denis,  with  Gamart  of  Rouen  as  pilot,  but  this  is  all  the 
information  we  have  regarding  this  expedition,,  Ramusio 
also  says:  "The  people  of  Dieppe  continued  their  commer 
cial  intercourse  with  the  West  Indies.  When  they  heard 
of  the  discoveries  which  the  Spaniards  had  made  in  America, 
they  found  their  emulation  incited,  and  they  equipped  two 
vessels  to  discover  whether  that  part  of  the  world  did  not 
extend  its  coast  to  the  north.  They  intrusted  the  command 
of  the  ships  to  two  of  their  most  skilful  captains,  named 
Thomas  Aubert  and  Jean  Verassen.  These  two  ships 
sailed  from  Dieppe  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1508,  and 
discovered  the  same  year  the  river  which  they  named  the 
St.  Lawrence  in  honor  of  the  martyred  Roman  saint.  They 
explored  the  river  for  more  than  eighty  leagues,  finding  the 
inhabitants  friendly,  with  whom  they  made  very  profitable 
exchanges  for  peltries." — (Ramusio,  iii,  359.)  The  "Jean 
Verassen"  who  was  the  subordinate  commander  in  this 
voyage  is  the  Verrazano  who  was  afterward  to  make  him 
self  so  famous  by  a  voyage  which  had  the  same  importance 
for  France  that  the  expeditions  of  Cabot  had  for  England. 

Aubert  and  Verrazano,  besides  the  peltries,  brought  back 
from  the  New  World  specimens  of  its  human  inhabitants, 
as  we  learn  from  a  work  printed  in  Paris  in  1512,  wherein^ 
coupled  with  the  date  1509,  it  is  stated:  "Seven  wild  men 
were  brought  from  that  island  (which  is  called  the  New 
Land)  to  Rouen  with  their  canoe,  clothing,  and  weaponSo 
They  are  of  a  sooty  color,  with  thick  lips,  and  bearing 
marks  on  the  face  drawn  like  blue  veins  along  the  cheek 
bones  from  the  ear  to  the  middle  of  the  chin ;  with  black 
hair  and  coarse  like  a  horse's  mane;  having  no  beard 


VOYAGE  OF  FERRAZANO  FOR   rHE  FRENCH        365 

throughout  the  whole  life ;  no  hair  on  any  part  of  the  body, 
except  on  the  head  and  eyebrowSo  They  wear  a  girdle  to 
cover  their  nakedness,  in  which  girdle  is  a  sort  of  pouch; 
they  form  a  dialect  with  their  lips ;  religion  they  have  none. 
Their  canoe  is  bark,  which  a  man  can  lift  on  his  shoulders 
with  one  hand»  Their  weapons  are  large  bows,  the  strings 
being  intestines  or  sinews  of  animals ;  their  arrows  are  canes 
barbed  with  flint  or  fish-bone.  Of  bread  and  wine  and 
money  they  have  not  the  least  use.  They  go  naked  or 
clad  in  the  skins  of  beasts, — bears,  deer,  sea-calves,  and  the 
like,  Their  country,  parallel  to  the  seventh  climate,  is 
nearer  the  West  [the  coast  of  Ireland]  than  France  is  farther 
from  it." — (Emebil  chronicon,  Paris,  1512,  172.) 

With  the  exception  of  the  fishing  expeditions  and  such 
sporadic  voyages  as  that  of  Aubert,  nothing  was  attempted 
in  the  way  of  American  discovery  by  France  until  the  reign 
of  Francis  I.  Lescarbot,  in  his  Histoire  de  la  Nouvelle  France, 
gives  an  account  of  how  Baron  de  Lery,  in  1518,  attempted 
to  colonize  Sable  Island,  but  the  only  result  was  that,  for 
many  years,  the  descendants  of  the  cattle  and  pigs  he  con 
veyed  there  had  the  island  in  sole  possession. 

In  1523,  all  Europe  was  disturbed  by  a  war  between 
Francis  I.  and  Charles  V0  The  former  sought  to  harass 
his  enemy  by  preying  upon  his  ships,  especially  those  return 
ing  laden  with  the  spoils  of  the  West  Indies,  for  which 
work  he  commissioned  Verrazano,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  experienced  navigators  of  Dieppe,  having,  as  we  have 
seen,  made  a  voyage  to  the  New  World.  Verrazano  quickly 
justified  his  sovereign's  choice,  for  he  fell  in  with  the  ship 
in  which  Cortes  was  sending  to  Charles  V.  the  spoils  of 
Montezuma's  palace.  This  he  captured,  and  was  thereby 
enabled  to  carry  to  the  French  king  a  present  to  the  value  of 
one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  amount 
of  this  treasure  opened  the  eyes  of  Francis  to  the  extent  of 
the  resources  which  Spain  had  procured  for  herself  by  her 
newly  discovered  acquisitions  in  the  west.  He  realized 
that  the  indifference  of  France  to  American  exploration  was 


366 


DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORE TION 


a  disadvantageous  policy.  Determined  to  share  at  first  hand 
in  these  gains,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Charles,  in  his  light- 
hearted  fashion,  begging  for  information  as  to  why  he  was 
left  out  when  the  world  was  divided  between  Spain  and 
PortugaL  He  inquired  if  Father  Adam  had  left  a  last  will 
and  testament  designating  those  two  as  his  sole  heirs. — 
(See  Bernal  Diaz,  Historia  de  la  Conquista  de  Nueva  Espana, 
Madrid,  1632,  chap.  169.) 

Not  receiving  any  satisfactory  answer  to  this  inquiry, 
Francis  decided  to  despatch  Verrazano  to  the  West  Indies, 
to  make  discoveries  to  the  advantage  of  France.  This 
famous  navigator  was  born  near  Florence,  about  the  year 
14800  His  family  was  of  noble  extraction,  but  Giovanni 
was  of  too  adventurous  a  disposition  to  remain  on  the 
ancestral  lands,  hence  he  early  took  to  the  sea  and  travelled 
to  many  parts.  We  hear  of  him  trafficking  in  Egypt  and 
in  Syria;  and  as  early  as  1505  we  find  him  in  the  maritime 
service  of  France,  in  which,  as  has  already  been  noticed,  he 
gained  his  first  experience  of  American  seas  in  15080  The 
commission  of  Francis  I.,  under  which  he  sailed  from  the 
Madeira  Islands  on  January  17,  1524,  directed  him  not 
only  to  search  for  undiscovered  lands  yielding  gold  and 
precious  stones,  but  also  to  look  for  a  passage,  north  of 
Florida,  opening  into  the  sea  of  Cathay.  The  result  of  his 
voyage  was  the  exploration  of  the  greater  part  of  the  eastern 
coast  line  of  the  United  States,  including  Narragansett  Bay 
and  New  York  harbor.  It  should  be  stated  that  no  docu 
ments  or  evidence  have  been  found  in  the  archives  of  France 
corroborating  the  account  of  Verrazano's  voyage  as  it  is  set 
forth  in  the  following  letter.  For  this  reason  its  genuine 
ness  has  been  disputed;  but  all  objections  have  been  ably 
and  successfully  answered  by  J0  Carson  Brevoort  in  his  Ver 
razano  the  Navigator.  A  letter  has  been  found  among  the 
diplomatic  correspondence  of  Portugal,  written  by  Joao  da 
Silveyra,  who  was  sent  as  ambassador  to  France  by  John  III. 
of  Portugal,  wherein  it  is  said  "  By  what  I  hear,  Messer 
Joao  Verazano,  who  is  going  on  the  discovery  of  Cathay, 


FOY AGE  OF  FERRAZANO  FOR  THE  FRENCH   367 

has  not  left  up  to  this  date  for  want  of  opportunity,  and  be 
cause  of  differences,  I  understand,  between  himself  and 
men;  and  on  this  point,  although  knowing  nothing  posi 
tively,  I  have  written  my  doubts  in  accompanying  letters, 
I  shall  continue  to  doubt,  unless  he  take  his  departure." 
The  ambassador  was  endeavoring,  by  secret  means,  to  pre 
vent  the  sailing  of  Verrazano ;  but  the  commander  got  off 
with  four  vessels  late  in  1523.  As  appears,  however,  in 
the  following  account,  three  of  the  ships  were  disabled  by 
heavy  storms,  and  he  eventually  sailed  on  the  I  yth  of  Janu 
ary,  1524,  with  the  Dolphin  alone.  We  will  let  the  bold 
navigator  tell  his  own  story,  as  given  in  his  letter: 

"  To  his  most  Serene  Majesty,  the  King  of  France : 

"  Since  the  tempests  which  we  encountered  on  the  north 
ern  coasts,  I  have  not  written  to  your  most  Serene  and 
Christian  Majesty  concerning  the  four  ships  sent  out  by 
your  orders  on  the  ocean  to  discover  new  lands,  because  I 
thought  you  must  have  been  before  apprised  of  all  that  had 
happened  to  us;  that  we  had  been  compelled,  by  the 
impetuous  violence  of  the  winds,  to  put  into  Brittany  in 
distress,  with  only  the  two  ships  Normandy  and  Dolphin; 
and  that,  after  having  repaired  these  ships,  we  made  a  cruise 
in  them,  well  armed,  along  the  coast  of  Spain,  as  your 
Majesty  must  have  heard;  and  also  of  our  new  plan  of 
continuing  our  begun  voyage  with  the  Dolphin  alone.  From 
this  voyage  being  now  returned,  I  proceed  to  give  your 
Majesty  an  account  of  our  discoveries,, 

"  On  the  i  yth  of  last  January  we  set  sail  from  a  desolate 
rock  near  the  island  of  Madeira,  belonging  to  his  most 
Serene  Majesty  the  King  of  Portugal,  with  fifty  men ;  having 
provisions  sufficient  for  eight  months,  arms,  and  other  war 
like  munitions  and  naval  stores.  Sailing  westward  with  a 
light  and  pleasant  easterly  breeze,  in  twenty-five  days  we 
ran  eight  hundred  leagueSo  On  the  24th  of  February 
we  encountered  as  violent  a  hurricane  as  any  ship  ever 
weathered,  from  which  we  escaped  unhurt  by  the  Divine 


368  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

assistance  and  goodness,  to  the  praise  of  the  glorious  and 
fortunate  name  of  our  good  ship,  that  had  been  able  to 
support  the  violent  tossing  of  the  waves.  Pursuing  our 
voyage  towards  the  west,  a  little  northwardly,  in  twenty- 
four  days  more,  having  run  four  hundred  leagues,  we  reached 
a  new  country,  which  had  never  before  been  seen  by  any 
one  either  in  ancient  or  modern  times.  At  first  it  appeared 
to  be  very  low,  but  on  approaching  it  to  within  a  quarter 
of  a  league  from  the  shore,  we  perceived,  by  the  great  fires 
near  the  coast,  that  it  was  inhabited.  We  perceived  that  it 
stretched  to  the  south,  and  coasted  along  in  that  direction 
in  search  of  some  port  in  which  we  might  come  to  an 
anchor  and  examine  into  the  nature  of  the  country ;  but  for 
fifty  leagues  we  could  find  none  in  which  we  could  lie 
securely.  Seeing  the  coast  still  stretched  to  the  south,  we 
resolved  to  change  our  course  and  stand  to  the  northward; 
and  as  we  still  had  the  same  difficulty,  we  drew  in  with  the 
land,  and  sent  a  boat  on  shore.  Many  people  who  were 
seen  coming  to  the  seaside  fled  at  our  approach;  but  occa 
sionally  stopping,  they  looked  back  upon  us  with  astonish 
ment,  and  some  were  at  length  induced  by  various  friendly 
signs  to  come  to  us.  These  showed  the  greatest  delight 
on  beholding  us,  wondering  at  our  dress,  countenances,  and 
complexion.  They  then  showed  us  by  signs  where  we 
could  more  conveniently  secure  our  boat,  and  offered  us 
some  of  their  provisions.  That  your  Majesty  may  know 
all  that  we  learned,  while  on  shore,  of  their  manners  and 
customs  of  life,  I  will  relate  what  we  saw  as  briefly  as 
possible.  They  go  entirely  naked  except  that  about  the 
loins  they  wear  skins  of  small  animals,  like  martens,  fas 
tened  by  a  girdle  of  plaited  grass,  to  which  they  tie,  all 
round  the  body,  the  tails  of  other  animals,  hanging  down  to 
the  knees0  All  other  parts  of  the  body  and  the  head  are 
naked.  Some  wear  garlands  similar  to  birds'  feathers,, 

"The  complexion  of  these  people  is  black,  not  much 
different  from  that  of  the  Ethiopians,  Their  hair  is  black, 
and  thick,  and  not  very  long;  it  is  worn  tied  back  upon  the 


DESCRIPTION 

DE     LA 

LOUISIANA 

NOUVELLEMENT     DECOUVERTE 
auSud'Oiiefl  dc  la  Nouvcllc  Fiance, 

PAR  ORDRE  DU  ROY. 

Avec  la  Carte  du  Pay* :  Ln  Mizurs 
&  la   Maniere  de  vivre 
de$  batwagt*. 

DEDIE'E    A  SA  MAJESTE' 

.  P.Louis    HENNEPXM 
Mifponnairc    RccolUt    & 
Notairc 


A   PARIS, 

Chez  la  Veuve  S  E  B  AST  i  EN   HURE',  rue 

Saint  Jacques,  a  FlmageS.  Jerome, 

pr^s  S.  Sevcrm. 

M.    DC.    LXXXIII."" 
PRIVILEGE    DV 


Title-page  of  the  first  printed  account  of  Hennepin's  discoveries  in 
America,  issued  in  Paris,  1683.  From  the  original  in  the  New  York 
Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch. 


VOYAGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH        369 

head,  in  the  form  of  a  little  tail.  In  person  they  are  of 
good  proportions,  of  middle  stature,  a  little  above  our  own ; 
broad  across  the  breast,  strong  in  the  arms,  and  well  formed 
in  the  legs  and  other  parts  of  the  body.  The  only  excep 
tion  to  their  good  looks  is  that  they  have  broad  faces ;  but 
not  all,  however,  as  we  saw  many  that  had  sharp  ones,  with 
large  black  eyes  and  a  fixed  expression.  They  are  not  very 
strong  in  body,  but  acute  in  mind,  active  and  swift  of  foot, 
as  far  as  we  could  judge  by  observation.  In  these  last  two 
particulars  they  resemble  the  people  of  the  East,  especially 
those  the  most  remote.  We  could  not  learn  a  great  many 
particulars  of  their  usages,  on  account  of  our  short  stay 
among  them  and  the  distance  of  our  ship  from  the  shore. 

u  We  found  not  far  from  this  people  another,  whose  mode 
of  life  we  judged  to  be  similar.  The  whole  shore  is  cov 
ered  with  fine  sand,  about  fifteen  feet  thick,  rising  in  the 
form  of  little  hills,  about  fifty  paces  broad.  Ascending 
farther,  we  found  several  arms  of  the  sea,  which  make  in 
through  inlets,  washing  the  shores  on  both  sides  as  the 
coast  runs.  An  outstretched  country  appears  at  a  little 
distance,  rising  somewhat  above  the  sandy  shore,  in  beauti 
ful  fields  and  broad  plains,  covered  with  immense  forests 
of  trees  more  or  less  dense,  too  various  in  colors  and  too 
delightful  and  charming  in  appearance  to  be  described.  I 
do  not  believe  that  they  are  like  the  Hercynian  forest,  or 
the  rough  wilds  of  Scythia ;  and  the  northern  regions  full 
of  vines  and  common  trees;  but  adorned  with  palms, 
laurels,  cypresses,  and  other  varieties,  unknown  in  Europe; 
that  send  forth  the  sweetest  fragrance  to  a  great  distance; 
but  which  we  could  not  examine  more  closely  for  the  rea 
sons  before  given,  and  not  on  account  of  any  difficulty  in 
traversing  the  woods;  which  on  the  contrary,  are  easily 
penetratedo 

"As  the  'East'  stretches  around  this  country,  I  think  it 
cannot  be  devoid  of  the  same  medicinal  and  aromatic  drugs, 
and  various  riches  of  gold  and  the  like,  as  is  denoted  by  the 
color  of  the  ground.  It  abounds  also  in  animals,  as  deer. 


DISCO  7ER  T  AND  EX  PL  ORA  riON 

stags,  hares,  and  many  other  similar,  and  with  a  great  variety 
of  birds  for  every  kind  of  pleasant  and  delightful  sport.  It 
is  plentifully  supplied  with  lakes  and  ponds  of  running 
water;  and  being  in  the  latitude  of  34°,  the  air  is  salu 
brious,  pure,  and  temperate,  and  free  from  the  extremes  of 
both  heat  and  cold.  There  are  no  violent  winds  in  these 
regions;  the  most  prevalent  are  the  northwest  and  west. 
In  summer,  the  season  in  which  we  were  there,  the  sky  is 
clear,  with  but  little  rain.  If  fogs  and  mists  are  at  any 
time  driven  in  by  the  south  wind,  they  are  instantaneously 
dissipated,  and  at  once  it  becomes  serene  and  bright  again. 
The  sea  is  calm,  not  boisterous,  and  its  waves  are  gentle. 
Although  the  whole  coast  is  low  and  without  harbors,  it  is 
not  dangerous  for  navigation,  being  free  from  rocks,  and 
bold,  so  that,  within  four  or  five  fathoms  from  the  shore, 
there  is  twenty-four  feet  of  water  at  all  times  of  tide;  and 
this  depth  constantly  increases  in  a  uniform  proportion.  The 
holding  ground  is  so  good  that  no  ship  can  part  her  cable, 
however  violent  the  wind,  as  we  proved  by  experience;  for 
while  riding  at  anchor  on  the  coast,  we  were  overtaken  by  a 
gale  in  the  beginning  of  March,  when  the  winds  are  high,  as 
is  usual  in  all  countries;  we  found  our  anchor  broken  before 
it  started  from  its  hold  or  moved  at  all. 

"We  set  sail  from  this  place,  continuing  to  coast  along  the 
shore,  which  we  found  stretching  out  to  the  west  [east  ?] ; 
the  inhabitants  being  numerous,  we  saw  everywhere  a  mul 
titude  of  fires.  While  at  anchor  on  this  coast,  there  being 
no  harbor  to  enter,  we  sent  the  boat  on  shore  with  twenty- 
five  men,  to  obtain  water;  but  it  was  not  possible  to  land 
without  endangering  the  boat,  on  account  of  the  immense 
high  surf  thrown  up  by  the  sea,  as  it  was  an  open  road 
stead.  Many  of  the  natives  came  to  the  beach,  indicating, 
by  various  friendly  signs,  that  we  might  trust  ourselves  on 
shore.  One  of  their  noble  deeds  of  friendship  deserves 
to  be  made  known  to  your  Majesty.  A  young  sailor  was 
attempting  to  swim  ashore  through  the  surf,  to  carry  them 
some  knickknacks,  as  little  bells,  looking  glasses,  and  other 


VOYAGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH        371 

like  trifles;  when  he  came  near  three  or  four  of  them  he 
tossed  the  things  to  them,  and  turned  about  to  get  back  to 
the  boat;  but  he  was  thrown  over  by  the  waves,  and  so 
dashed  by  them,  that  he  lay,  as  it  were,  dead  upon  the 
beach.  When  these  people  saw  him  in  this  situation,  they 
ran  and  took  him  by  the  head,  legs,  and  arms,  and  carried 
him  to  a  distance  from  the  surf.  The  young  man,  finding 
himself  borne  off  in  this  way,  uttered  very  loud  shrieks  in 
fear  and  dismay,  while  they  answered  as  they  could  in  their 
own  language,  showing  him  that  he  had  no  cause  for  fear. 
Afterwards  they  laid  him  down  at  the  foot  of  a  little  hill, 
when  they  took  off  his  shirt  and  trousers  and  examined 
him,  expressing  the  greatest  astonishment  at  the  whiteness 
of  his  skin.  Our  sailors  in  the  boat,  seeing  a  great  fire 
made  up  and  their  companion  placed  very  near  it, — full  of 
fear,  as  is  usual  in  all  cases  of  novelty, — imagined  that  the 
natives  were  about  to  roast  him  for  food.  But  as  soon  as 
he  had  recovered  his  strength,  after  a  short  stay  with  them, 
showing  by  signs  that  he  wished  to  return  aboard,  they 
hugged  him  with  great  affection,  and  accompanied  him  to 
the  shore,  then  leaving  him  that  he  might  feel  more  secure, 
they  withdrew  to  a  little  hill,  from  which  they  watched  him 
until  he  was  safe  in  the  boat.  This  young  man  remarked 
that  these  people  were  black  like  the  others;  that  they  had 
shining  skins,  middle  stature,  and  sharper  faces,  and  very 
delicate  bodies  and  limbs;  and  that  they  were  inferior  in 
strength,  but  quick  in  their  minds;  that  is  all  that  he 
observed  of  them. 

u  Departing  hence,  and  always  following  the  shore,  which 
stretched  to  the  north,  we  came,  in  the  space  of  fifty 
leagues,  to  another  land,  which  appeared  very  beautiful  and 
full  of  large  forests.  We  approached  it,  and  going  ashore 
with  twenty  men,  we  went  back  from  the  coast  about  two 
leagues,  and  found  that  the  people  had  fled  and  hid  them 
selves  in  the  woods  for  fear.  By  searching  around,  we 
discovered  in  the  grass  a  very  old  woman  and  a  young  girl 
about  eighteen  or  twenty,  who  had  concealed  themselves 


372 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


for  the  same  reason.  The  old  woman  carried  two  infants 
on  her  shoulders,  and  behind  her  neck  a  little  boy  eight 
years  of  age.  When  we  came  up  to  them  they  began  to 
shriek  and  make  signs  to  the  men  who  had  fled  to  the 
woods.  We  gave  them  a  part  of  our  provisions,  which 
they  accepted  with  delight;  but  the  girl  would  not  touch 
any,  everything  we  offered  to  her  being  thrown  down  in 
great  anger.  We  took  the  little  boy  from  the  old  woman 
to  carry  with  us  to  France,  and  would  have  taken  the  girl 
also,  who  was  very  beautiful  and  very  tall;  but  it  was  im 
possible  because  of  the  loud  shrieks  she  uttered  as  we 
attempted  to  lead  her  away.  Having  to  pass  some  woods, 
and  being  far  from  the  ship,  we  determined  to  leave  her  and 
take  the  boy  only.  We  found  them  fairer  than  the  others, 
and  wearing  a  covering  made  of  certain  plants  which  hung 
down  from  the  branches  of  the  trees,  tying  them  to 
gether  with  threads  of  wild  hemp.  Their  heads  are  without 
covering  and  of  the  same  shape  as  the  others.  Their  food 
is  a  kind  of  pulse,  which  there  abounds;  different  in  color 
and  size  from  ours,  and  of  a  very  delicious  flavor.  Besides, 
they  take  birds  and  fish  for  food,  using  snares,  and  bows 
made  of  hard  wood,  with  reeds  for  arrows,  in  the  ends  of 
which  they  put  the  bones  of  fish  and  other  animals.  The 
animals  in  these  regions  are  wilder  than  in  Europe,  from 
being  continually  molested  by  the  hunters.  We  saw  many 
of  their  boats,  made  of  one  tree,  twenty  feet  long  and  four 
feet  broad,  without  the  aid  of  stone,  of  iron,  or  other  kind 
of  metal.  In  the  whole  country,  for  the  space  of  two  hun 
dred  leagues,  which  we  visited,  we  saw  no  stone  of  any 
sort.  To  hollow  out  their  boats,  they  burn  out  as  much  of 
a  log  as  is  requisite,  and  also  from  the  prow  and  stern,  to 
make  them  float  well  on  the  sea.  The  land,  in  situation, 
fertility,  and  beauty,  is  like  the  other;  abounding  also  in 
forests,  filled  with  various  kinds  of  trees  ;  but  not  of  such 
fragrance,  as  it  is  more  northern  and  colder. 

"  We  saw  in  this  country  many  vines,  growing  naturally, 
which  entwine  about  the  trees  and  run  up  upon  them  as 


FOT AGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR  THE  FRENCH 


373 


they  do  in  the  plains  of  Lombardy.  These  vines  would 
doubtless  produce  excellent  wine  if  they  were  properly  cul 
tivated  and  attended  to,  as  we  have  often  seen  the  grapes 
which  they  produce  very  sweet  and  pleasant,  and  not  un 
like  our  own.  They  must  be  held  in  estimation  by  them, 
as  they  carefully  remove  the  shrubbery  from  around  them 
wherever  they  grow,  to  allow  the  fruit  to  ripen  better.  We 
found  also  wild  roses,  violets,  lilies,  and  many  sorts  of 
plants  and  fragrant  flowers  different  from  our  own.  We 
cannot  describe  their  habitations,  as  they  are  in  the  interior 
of  the  country,  but  from  various  indications  we  conclude 
they  must  be  formed  of  trees  and  shrubs.  We  saw  also 
many  grounds  for  conjecturing  that  they  often  sleep  in  the 
open  air,  without  any  covering  but  the  sky.  Of  their  other 
usages  we  know  nothing;  we  believe,  however,  that  all  the 
people  we  were  among  live  in  the  same  way. 

"  After  having  remained  here  three  days,  riding  at  anchor 
on  the  coast,  as  we  could  find  no  harbor,  we  determined  to 
depart,  and  coast  along  the  shore  to  the  northeast,  keeping 
sail  on  the  vessel  only  by  day,  and  coming  to  anchor  by 
night.  After  proceeding  one  hundred  leagues,  we  found  a 
very  pleasant  situation  among  some  steep  hills,  through 
which  a  very  large  river  [the  Hudson] ,  deep  at  its  mouth, 
forced  its  way  to  the  sea ;  from  the  sea  to  the  estuary  of  the 
river,  any  ship  heavily  laden  might  pass,  with  the  help  of 
the  tide,  which  rises  eight  feet.  But  as  we  were  riding  at 
anchor  in  a  good  berth,  we  would  not  venture  up  in  our 
vessel,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  mouth;  therefore,  we 
took  the  boat,  and,  entering  the  river,  we  found  the  country 
on  its  banks  well  peopled,  the  inhabitants  not  differing 
much  from  the  others,  being  dressed  out  with  the  feathers 
of  birds  of  various  colors.  They  came  towards  us  with 
evident  delight,  raising  loud  shouts  of  admiration,  and 
showing  us  where  we  could  most  securely  land  with  our 
boat.  We  passed  up  this  river  about  half  a  league,  when 
we  found  it  formed  a  most  beautiful  lake  [New  York 
harbor],  three  leagues  in  circuit,  upon  which  they  were 


374 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


rowing  thirty  or  more  of  their  small  boats,  from  one  shore 
to  the  other,  filled  with  multitudes  who  came  to  see  us. 
All  of  a  sudden,  as  is  wont  to  happen  to  navigators,  a 
violent  contrary  wind  blew  in  from  the  sea,  and  forced  us 
to  return  to  our  ship,  greatly  regretting  to  leave  this  region 
which  seemed  so  commodious  and  delightful,  and  which  we 
supposed  must  also  contain  great  riches,  as  the  hills  showed 
many  indications  of  minerals.  Weighing  anchor,  we  sailed 
eighty  leagues  towards  the  east,  as  the  coast  stretched  in 
that  direction,  and  always  in  sight  of  it;  at  length  we  dis 
covered  an  island  of  a  triangular  form,  about  ten  leagues 
from  the  mainland,  in  size  about  equal  to  the  island  of 
Rhodes,  having  many  hills  covered  with  trees,  and  well 
peopled,  judging  from  the  great  number  of  fires  which  we 
saw  all  around  its  shores;  we  gave  it  the  name  of  your 
Majesty's  mother. 

u  We  did  not  land  there,  as  the  weather  was  unfavorable, 
but  proceeded  to  another  place,  fifteen  leagues  distant  from 
the  island,  where  we  found  a  very  excellent  harbor.  Before 
entering  it,  we  saw  about  twenty  small  boats  full  of  people, 
who  came  about  our  ship,  uttering  many  cries  of  astonish 
ment,  but  they  would  not  approach  nearer  than  within  fifty 
paces;  stopping,  they  looked  at  the  structure  of  our  ship, 
our  persons  and  dress,  afterwards  they  all  raised  a  loud 
shout  together,  signifying  that  they  were  pleased.  By  imi 
tating  their  signs,  we  inspired  them  in  some  measure  with 
confidence,  so  that  they  came  near  enough  for  us  to  toss  to 
them  some  little  bells  and  glasses,  and  many  toys,  which 
they  took  and  looked  at,  laughing,  and  then  came  on  board 
without  fear;  among  them  were  two  kings,  more  beautiful 
in  form  and  stature  than  can  possibly  be  described;  one 
was  about  forty  years  old,  the  other  about  twenty-four,  and 
they  were  dressed  in  the  following  manner:  the  oldest  had 
a  deer's  skin  around  his  body,  artificially  wrought  in  damask 
figures;  his  head  was  without  covering,  his  hair  was  tied 
back  in  various  knots;  around  his  neck  he  wore  a  large 
chain  ornamented  with  many  stones  of  different  colors. 


FOT AGE  OF  PERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH        375 

The  young  man  was  similar  in  his  general  appearance. 
This  is  the  finest-looking  tribe,  and  the  handsomest  in  cos 
tumes,  that  we  have  found  in  our  voyage.  They  exceed 
us  in  size,  and  they  are  of  a  very  fair  complexion ;  some 
of  them  incline  more  to  a  white  [bronze] ,  and  others  to  a 
tawny  color;  their  faces  are  sharp,  their  hair  long  and 
black,  upon  the  adorning  of  which  they  bestow  great  pains ; 
their  eyes  are  black  and  sharp,  their  expression  mild  and 
pleasant,  greatly  resembling  the  antique.  I  say  nothing  to 
your  Majesty  of  the  other  parts  of  the  body,  which  are  all 
in  a  good  proportion,  and  such  as  belong  to  well-formed 
men.  Their  women  are  of  the  same  form  and  beauty, 
very  graceful,  of  fine  countenances  and  pleasing  appearance 
in  manners  and  modesty;  they  wear  no  clothing  except  a 
deer  skin,  ornamented  like  those  worn  by  the  men ;  some 
wear  very  rich  lynx  skins  upon  their  arms,  and  various 
ornaments  upon  their  heads,  composed  of  braids  of  hair, 
which  also  hang  down  upon  their  breasts  on  each  side; 
others  wear  different  ornaments,  such  as  the  women  of 
Egypt  and  Syria  use.  The  older  and  the  married  people, 
both  men  and  women,  wear  many  ornaments  in  their  ears, 
hanging  down  in  the  Oriental  manner.  We  saw  upon 
them  several  pieces  of  wrought  copper,  which  is  more 
esteemed  by  them  than  gold,  as  this  is  not  valued,  on  ac 
count  of  its  color,  but  is  considered  by  them  as  the  most 
ordinary  of  the  metals, — yellow  being  the  color  especially 
disliked  by  them;  azure  and  red  are  those  in  highest  esti 
mation  with  them.  Of  those  things  which  we  gave  them, 
they  prized  most  highly  the  bells,  azure  crystals,  and  other 
toys  to  hang  in  their  ears  and  about  their  necks;  they 
do  not  value  or  care  to  have  silk  or  gold  stuffs,  or  other 
kind  of  cloth,  or  implements  of  steel  or  iron.  When  we 
showed  them  our  arms,  they  expressed  no  admiration,  and 
only  asked  how  they  were  made;  the  same  was  the  case 
with  the  looking  glasses,  which  they  returned  to  us,  smiling, 
as  soon  as  they  had  looked  at  them.  They  are  very  gen 
erous,  giving  away  whatever  they  have.  We  formed  a 


376  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

great  friendship  with  them,  and  one  day  we  entered  into 
the  port  with  our  ship,  having  before  rode  at  the  distance 
of  a  league  from  the  shore,  as  the  weather  was  adverse. 
They  came  off  to  the  ship  with  a  number  of  their  little  boats, 
with  their  faces  painted  in  divers  colors,  showing  us  real 
signs  of  joy,  bringing  us  of  their  provisions,  and  signifying 
to  us  where  we  could  best  ride  in  safety  with  our  ship,  and 
keeping  with  us  until  we  had  cast  anchor.  We  remained 
among  them  fifteen  days,  to  provide  ourselves  with  many 
things  of  which  we  were  in  want;  during  this  time  they 
came  every  day  to  see  our  ship,  bringing  with  them  their 
wives,  of  whom  they  were  very  careful ;  for  although  they 
came  on  board  themselves,  and  remained  a  long  while, 
they  made  their  wives  stay  in  the  boats,  nor  could  we  ever 
get  them  on  board  by  entreaties  or  any  presents  we  could 
make  them.  One  of  the  two  kings  often  came  with  his 
queen  and  many  attendants,  to  see  us  for  his  amusements, 
but  he  always  stopped  at  the  distance  of  about  two  hundred 
paces,  and  sent  a  boat  to  inform  us  of  his  intended  visit, 
saying  they  would  come  and  see  our  ship, — this  was  done 
for  safety,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  an  answer  from  us  they 
came  off,  and  remained  a  while  to  look  around;  but  on 
hearing  the  annoying  cries  of  the  sailors,  the  king  sent  his 
queen,  with  her  attendants,  in  a  very  light  boat,  to  wait, 
near  an  island  a  quarter  of  a  league  distant  from  us,  while 
he  remained  a  long  time  on  board,  talking  with  us  by  signs 
and  expressing  his  fanciful  notions  about  everything  in  the 
ship,  and  asking  the  use  of  all.  After  imitating  our  modes 
of  salutation,  and  tasting  our  food,  he  courteously  took 
leave  of  us.  Sometimes,  when  our  men  stayed  two  or  three 
days  on  a  small  island  near  the  ship  for  their  various  neces 
sities,  as  sailors  are  wont  to  do,  he  came  with  seven  or 
eight  of  his  attendants  to  inquire  about  our  movements, 
often  asking  us  if  we  intended  to  remain  long,  and  offering 
us  everything  at  his  command ;  and  then  he  would  shoot 
with  his  bow,  and  run  up  and  down  with  his  people,  making 
great  sport  for  us.  We  often  went  five  or  six  leagues  into 


VOYAGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR   rHE  FRENCH 


377 


the  interior,  and  found  the  country  as  pleasant  as  is  possible 
to  conceive,  adapted  to  cultivation  of  every  kind,  whether 
of  corn,  wine  or  oil;  there  are  often  plains  twenty-five  or 
thirty  leagues  in  extent,  entirely  free  from  trees  or  other 
hindrances,  and  of  so  great  fertility,  that  whatever  is  sown 
there  will  yield  an  excellent  crop.  On  entering  the  woods, 
we  observed  that  they  might  all  be  traversed  by  an  army 
ever  so  numerous;  the  trees  of  which  they  were  composed 
were  oaks,  cypresses,  and  others  unknown  in  Europe.  We 
found  also  apples,  plums,  filberts,  and  many  other  fruits, 
but  all  of  a  different  kind  from  ours.  The  animals,  which 
are  in  great  numbers,  as  stags,  deer,  lynxes,  and  many  other 
species,  are  taken  by  snares  and  by  bows,  the  latter  being 
their  chief  implement;  their  arrows  are  wrought  with  great 
beauty,  and  for  the  heads  of  them  they  use  emery,  jasper, 
hard  marble,  and  other  sharp  stones  in  cutting  down  trees, 
and  with  them  they  construct  their  boats  of  single  logs, 
hollowed  out  with  admirable  skill,  and  sufficiently  commo 
dious  to  contain  ten  or  twelve  persons ;  their  oars  are  short, 
and  broad  at  the  end,  and  are  managed  in  rowing  by  force 
of  the  arms  alone,  with  perfect  security,  and  as  nimbly  as 
they  choose.  We  saw  their  dwellings,  which  are  of  a  cir 
cular  form,  of  about  ten  or  twelve  paces  in  circumference, 
made  of  logs  split  in  halves,  without  any  regularity  in 
architecture,  and  covered  with  roofs  of  straw,  nicely  put 
on,  which  protect  them  from  wind  and  rain.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  they  would  build  stately  edifices  if  they  had 
workmen  as  skilful  as  ours;  for  the  whole  seacoast  abounds 
in  shining  stones,  crystals,  and  alabaster,  and  for  the  same 
reason  it  has  posts  and  retreats  for  animals.  They  change 
their  habitations  trom  place  to  place  as  circumstances  of 
situation  and  season  may  require.  This  is  easily  done,  as 
they  have  only  to  take  with  them  their  mats,  and  they  have 
other  houses  prepared  at  once.  The  father  and  the  whole 
family  dwell  together  in  one  house  in  great  numbers ;  in 
some  we  saw  twenty-five  or  thirty  persons.  Their  food  is 
pulse,  as  with  the  other  tribes;  which  is  here  better  than 


378  DISCOVER r  AND  EXPLORATION 

elsewhere,  and  more  carefully  cultivated.  In  the  time  of 
sowing  they  are  governed  by  the  moon,  the  sprouting 
of  grain,  and  many  other  ancient  usages.  They  live  by 
hunting  and  fishing,  and  they  are  long-lived.  If  they  fall 
sick,  they  cure  themselves  without  medicine,  by  the  heat 
of  the  fire ;  and  their  death  at  last  comes  from  extreme  old 
age.  We  judge  them  to  be  very  affectionate  and  charitable 
towards  their  relatives,  making  loud  lamentations  in  their 
adversity,  and  in  their  misery  calling  to  mind  all  their  good 
fortune.  At  their  departure  out  of  life,  their  relations  mutu 
ally  join  in  weeping,  mingled  with  singing,  for  a  long  while. 
This  is  all  that  we  could  learn  of  them. 

"  This  region  is  situated  in  the  parallel  of  Rome,  being 
41°  40'  of  north  latitude;  but  much  colder,  from  accidental 
circumstances,  and  not  by  nature,  as  I  shall  hereafter  explain 
to  your  Majesty,  and  confine  myself  at  present  to  the  de 
scription  of  its  local  situation.  It  looks  toward  the  south, 
on  which  side  the  harbor  is  half  of  a  league  broad  [prob 
ably  Newport]  ;  afterwards,  upon  entering  it,  the  extent 
between  the  coast  and  north  is  twelve  leagues;  and  then 
enlarging  itself,  it  forms  a  very  large  bay,  twenty  leagues 
in  circumference,  in  which  are  five  small  islands  of  great 
fertility  and  beauty,  covered  with  large  and  lofty  trees. 
Among  these  islands  any  fleet,  however  large,  might  ride 
safely,  without  fear  of  tempests  or  other  dangers.  Turning 
towards  the  south,  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  on  both 
sides,  there  are  very  pleasant  hills,  and  many  streams  of  clear 
water  which  flow  down  to  the  sea.  In  the  midst  of  the 
entrance  there  is  a  rock  of  freestone,  formed  by  nature,  and 
suitable  for  the  construction  of  any  kind  of  machine  or 
bulwark  for  the  defence  of  the  harbor. 

u  Having  supplied  ourselves  with  everything  necessary,  on 
the  fifth  of  May  we  departed  from  the  port,  and  sailed  one 
hundred  and  fifty  leagues,  keeping  so  close  to  the  coast  as 
never  to  lose  it  from  our  sight.  The  nature  of  the  country 
appeared  much  the  same  as  before;  but  the  mountains  were 
a  little  higher,  and  all,  in  appearance,  rich  in  minerals.  We 


OF  7ERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH 


379 


did  not  stop  to  land,  as  the  weather  was  very  favorable  for 
pursuing  our  voyage,  and  the  country  presented  no  variety. 
The  shore  stretched  to  the  east;  and,  fifty  leagues  beyond, 
more  to  the  north,  where  we  found  a  more  elevated  country 
full  of  very  thick  woods  of  fir  trees,  cypresses,  and  the  like, 
indicative  of  a  cold  climate.  The  people  were  entirely 
different  from  the  others  we  had  seen,  whom  we  had  found 
kind  and  gentle;  but  these  were  so  rude  and  barbarous 
that  we  were  unable,  by  any  signs  we  could  make,  to  hold 
communication  with  them.  They  clothe  themselves  in  the 
skins  of  bears,  lynxes,  seals,  and  other  animals.  Their 
food,  as  far  as  we  could  judge  by  several  visits  to  their 
dwellings,  is  obtained  by  hunting  and  fishing,  and  certain 
fruits,  which  are  a  sort  of  root  of  spontaneous  growth. 
They  have  no  pulse,  and  we  saw  no  signs  of  cultivation. 
The  land  appears  sterile,  and  unfit  for  growing  of  fruit 
or  grain  of  any  kind.  If  we  wished  at  any  time  to  traffic 
with  them,  they  came  to  the  seashore  and  stood  upon  the 
rocks,  from  which  they  lowered  down  by  a  cord,  to  our 
boats  beneath,  whatever  they  had  to  barter,  continually 
crying  out  to  us  not  to  come  nearer,  and  instantly  demand 
ing  from  us  what  was  to  be  given  in  exchange.  They  took 
from  us  only  knives,  fishhooks,  and  sharpened  steel.  .  .  . 
No  regard  was  paid  to  our  courtesies.  When  we  had  noth 
ing  left  to  exchange  with  them,  the  men  at  our  departure 
made  the  most  brutal  signs  of  disdain  and  contempt  possi 
ble.  Against  their  will,  we  penetrated  two  or  three  leagues 
into  the  interior  with  twenty-five  men.  When  we  came 
to  the  shore,  they  shot  at  us  with  their  arrows,  raising  the 
most  horrible  cries,  and  afterwards  fleeing  to  the  woods. 
In  this  region  we  found  nothing  extraordinary  except  vast 
forests  and  some  metalliferous  hills,  as  we  infer  from  seeing 
that  many  of  the  people  wear  copper  earrings. 

"  Departing  from  thence,  we  kept  along  the  coast,  steering 
northeast,  and  found  the  country  more  pleasant  and  open, 
free  from  woods;  and  distant  in  the  interior  we  saw  lofty 
mountains,  but  none  which  extended  to  the  shore.  Within 


380  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

fifty  leagues  we  discovered  thirty-two  islands,  all  near  the 
mainland,  small,  and  of  pleasant  appearance;  but  high,  and 
so  disposed  as  to  afford  excellent  harbors  and  channels, 
as  we  see  in  the  Adriatic  Gulf,  near  Illyria  and  Dalmatia. 
We  had  no  intercourse  with  the  people;  but  we  judge  that 
they  were  similar  in  nature  and  usages  to  those  we  were 
last  among.  After  sailing  between  east  and  north  the  dis 
tance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  more,  and  finding 
our  provisions  and  naval  stores  nearly  exhausted,  we  took 
in  wood  and  water,  and  determined  to  return  to  France, 
having  discovered  five  hundred  and  two,  that  is,  seven 
hundred  leagues  of  unknown  land. 

"As  to  the  religious  faith  of  all  these  tribes,  not  under 
standing  their  language,  we  could  not  discover  either  by 
sign  or  gestures  anything  certain.  It  seemed  to  us  that 
they  had  no  religion  nor  laws,  nor  any  knowledge  of  p.  First 
Cause  or  Mover,  that  they  worshipped  neither  the  heavens, 
stars,  sun,  moon,  nor  other  planets;  nor  could  we  learn  if 
they  were  given  to  any  kind  of  idolatry,  or  offered  any  sacri 
fices  or  supplications,  or  if  they  have  temples  or  houses  of 
prayer  in  their  villages ;  our  conclusion  was  that  they  have 
no  religious  belief  whatever,  but  live  in  this  respect  entirely 
free.  All  which  proceeds  from  ignorance,  as  they  are  very 
easy  to  be  persuaded,  and  imitated  us  with  earnestness  and 
fervor  in  all  which  they  saw  us  do  as  Christians  in  our  acts 
of  worship. 

"  It  remains  for  me  to  lay  before  your  Majesty  a  cosmo- 
graphical  exposition  of  our  voyage.  Taking  our  departure, 
as  I  before  observed,  from  the  above-mentioned  desert  rocks, 
which  lie  on  the  extreme  verge  of  the  west,  as  known  to  the 
ancients,  in  the  meridian  of  the  Fortunate  Islands,  and  in 
the  latitude  of  thirty-two  degrees  north  from  the  equator, 
and  steering  a  westward  course,  we  had  run,  when  we  first 
made  land,  a  distance  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  leagues 
or  four  thousand  eight  hundred  miles,  reckoning,  according 
to  a  nautical  usage,  four  miles  to  a  league.  This  distance 
calculated  geometrically,  upon  the  usual  ratio  of  the  diameter 


VOYAGE  OF  7ERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH        381 

to  the  circumference  of  the  circle,  gives  ninety-two  degrees ; 
for  if  we  take  one  hundred  and  fourteen  degrees  as  the 
chord  of  an  arc  of  a  great  circle,  we  have  by  the  same  ratio 
ninety-five  degrees  as  the  chord  of  an  arc  on  the  parallel 
of  thirty-four  degrees,  being  that  on  which  we  first  made 
land,  and  three  hundred  degrees  as  the  circumference  of  the 
whole  circle,  passing  through  this  plane.  Allowing,  then, 
as  actual  observations  show,  that  sixty-two  and  one-half 
terrestrial  miles  correspond  to  a  celestial  degree,  we  find  the 
whole  circumference  of  three  hundred  degrees  as  just  given 
to  be  eighteen  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-nine  miles, 
which,  divided  by  three  hundred  and  sixty,  makes  the  length 
of  a  degree  of  longitude  in  the  parallel  of  thirty-four  de 
grees  to  be  fifty-two  miles,  and  that  is  the  true  measure. 
Upon  this  basis,  one  thousand  two  hundred  leagues,  or  four 
thousand  eight  hundred  miles  meridional  distance,  on  the 
parallel  of  thirty-four,  give  ninety-two  degrees,  and  so  many 
therefore  have  we  sailed  farther  to  the  west  than  was  known 
to  the  ancients.  During  our  voyage  we  had  no  lunar 
eclipses  or  like  celestial  phenomena;  we  therefore  deter 
mined  our  progress  from  the  difference  of  longitude,  which 
we  ascertained  by  various  instruments,  by  taking  the  sun's 
altitude  from  day  to  day,  and  by  calculating  geometrically 
the  distance  run  by  the  ship  from  one  horizon  to  another ; 
all  these  observations,  as  also  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  sea 
in  all  places,  were  noted  in  a  little  book,  which  may  prove 
serviceable  to  navigators;  they  are  communicated  to  your 
Majesty  in  the  hope  of  promoting  science. 

u  My  intention  in  this  voyage  was  to  reach  Cathay,  on 
the  extreme  coast  of  Asia,  expecting,  however,  to  find  in  the 
newly  discovered  land  some  such  obstacles  as  they  have 
proved  to  be,  yet  did  I  not  doubt  that  I  should  penetrate 
by  some  passage  to  the  eastern  ocean.  It  was  the  opinion 
of  the  ancients  that  our  Oriental  Indian  Ocean  is  one, 
and  without  any  interposing  land;  Aristotle  supports  it  by 
arguments  founded  on  various  probabilities;  but  it  is  con 
trary  to  that  of  the  moderns,  and  shown  to  be  erroneous  by 


382  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

experience.  The  country  which  has  been  discovered,  and 
which  was  unknown  to  the  ancients,  is  another  world,  com 
pared  with  that  before  known,  being  manifestly  larger  than 
our  Europe  together  with  Africa  and  perhaps  Asia,  if  we 
rightly  estimate  its  extent.  We  shall  now  be  briefly  ex 
plained  to  your  Majesty.  The  Spaniards  have  sailed  south 
beyond  the  equator,  on  a  meridian  twenty  degrees  west  of 
the  Fortunate  Islands  to  the  latitude  of  fifty-four  degrees  ; 
and  there  still  found  land.  Turning  about,  they  steered 
northward  on  the  same  meridian,  and  along  the  coast  to  the 
eighth  degree  of  latitude,  near  the  equator,  and  thence  along 
the  coast,  more  to  the  west  and  northwest,  to  the  latitude 
of  twenty-one  degrees,  without  finding  a  termination  of  the 
continent.  They  estimated  the  distance  run  as  eighty-nine 
degrees,  which,  added  to  the  twenty  first  run  west  of  the 
Canaries,  make  one  hundred  and  nine  degrees;  and  so  far 
west  they  sailed  from  the  meridian  of  these  islands.  But  this 
may  vary  somewhat  from  the  truth.  We  did  not  make 
this  voyage,  and  therefore  cannot  speak  from  experience. 
We  calculated  it  geometrically  from  the  observations  fur 
nished  by  many  navigators,  who  have  made  the  voyage, 
and  affirm  the  distance  to  be  one  thousand  six  hundred 
leagues,  due  allowance  being  made  for  the  deviations  of 
the  ship  from  a  straight  course  by  reason  of  contrary  winds. 
I  hope  that  we  shall  now  obtain  certain  information  on 
these  points  by  new  voyages  to  be  made  on  the  same 
coasts. 

"  But  to  return  to  ourselves.  In  the  voyage  which  we 
have  made  by  order  of  your  Majesty,  in  addition  to  the 
ninety-two  degrees  we  ran  towards  the  west,  from  our  point 
of  departure,  before  we  reached  land  in  the  latitude  of 
thirty-four  degrees,  we  have  to  count  three  hundred  leagues 
which  we  ran  northeastwardly  and  four  hundred  nearly  east, 
along  the  coast,  before  we  reached  the  fiftieth  parallel  of 
north  latitude,  the  point  where  we  turned  our  course  from 
the  shore  towards  home.  Beyond  this  point  the  Portuguese 
had  already  sailed  as  far  north  as  the  Arctic  Circle  without 


VOYAGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR   THE  FRENCH        383 

coming  to  the  termination  of  the  land.  Thus,  adding  the 
degrees  of  south  latitude  explored,  which  are  fifty-four,  to 
those  of  the  north,  which  are  sixty-six,  the  sum  is  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty;  and  therefore  more  than  are  embraced  in 
the  latitude  of  Africa  and  Europe, — for  the  north  point  of 
Norway,  which  is  the  extremity  of  Europe,  is  in  seventy-one 
north;  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  is  the  southern 
extremity  of  Africa,  is  in  thirty-five  south;  and  their  sum  is 
only  one  hundred  and  six.  And  if  the  breadth  of  this  newly 
discovered  country  corresponds  to  its  extent  of  seacoast,  it 
doubtless  exceeds  Asia  in  size.  In  this  way  we  find  that 
the  land  forms  a  much  larger  portion  of  our  globe  than  the 
ancients  supposed;  who  maintained,  contrary  to  mathe 
matical  reasoning,  that  it  was  less  than  the  water;  whereas 
actual  experience  proves  the  reverse.  So  that  we  judge,  in 
respect  to  extent  of  surface,  the  land  covers  as  much  space 
as  the  water.  And  I  hope  more  clearly  and  more  satisfac 
torily  to  point  out  and  explain  to  your  Majesty  the  great 
extent  of  that  new  land,  or  new  world,  of  which  I  have 
been  speaking. 

"The  continent  of  Asia  and  Africa,  we  know  for  certain, 
is  joined  to  Europe  at  the  north,  in  Norway  and  Russia ; 
which  disproves  the  idea  of  the  ancients,  that  all  this  part 
had  been  navigated,  from  the  Cimbric  Chersonesus  east 
ward  as  far  as  the  Caspian  Sea.  They  also  maintained  that 
the  whole  continent  was  surrounded  by  two  seas  situate 
to  the  east  and  west  of  it;  which  seas,  in  fact,  do  not  sur 
round  either  of  the  two  continents;  for,  as  we  have  seen 
above,  the  land  of  the  southern  hemisphere  at  the  latitude  of 
fifty-four  degrees,  extends  eastwardly  an  unknown  distance; 
and  that  of  the  northern,  passing  the  sixty-sixth  parallel, 
turns  to  the  east,  and  has  no  termination  as  high  as  the 
seventieth. 

"  In  a  short  time,  I  hope,  we  shall  have  more  certain 
knowledge  of  these  things,  by  the  aid  of  your  Majesty, 
whom  I  pray  Almighty  God  to  prosper  in  lasting  glory, 
that  we  may  see  the  most  important  results  of  this  our 


384  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

cosmography   in   the   fulfilment  of  the   holy  words  of  the 
Gospel. 

u  On  board  the  ship  Dolphin,  in  the  port  of  Dieppe  in 
Normandy,  the  8th  of  July,  1524. 

"  Your  humble  servitor, 

"  JANUS  VERRAZZANUS." 

A  careful  study  of  this  narrative  will  reveal  many  facts 
of  interest.  Important  among  them  is  this :  that  Verrazano 
believed  that  Asia  extended  around  the  northern  latitudes 
to  America.  The  later  discovery  of  Bering  Strait,  show 
ing  how  nearly  the  two  continents  approximate,  proves  the 
correctness  of  the  Florentine  navigator's  conclusions.  His 
description  of  the  coast  where  he  made  his  first  landing,  of 
the  natives  and  the  flora  and  fauna,  plainly  shows  that  it 
was  somewhere  in  the  Carolinas.  Verrazano  also  crossed 
the  Virginian  peninsula  and  came  in  sight  of  the  broad 
waters  of  Chesapeake  Bay.  The  sight  of  this  inland  sea, 
the  entrance  to  which  he  had  missed  in  the  night,  led  him 
to  think  that  it  was  connected  with  the  Indian  Ocean, 
and  he  constantly  looked  for  a  passage  thither.  Notwith 
standing  his  failure  to  find  such  an  opening,  he  seems  to 
have  returned  to  France  in  the  belief  that  North  America 
consisted  of  islands.  Hakluyt,  in  the  Epistle  Dedicatory 
to  his  Divers  Voyages,  says :  "  We  might  ...  by 
God's  grace,  find  out  that  short  and  easy  passage  by  the 
Northwest,  which  we  have  hitherto  so  long  desired,  and 
whereof  we  have  many  good  and  more  than  probable  con 
jectures.  .  .  .  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  Sebastian 
Gabot  wrote  to  Master  Baptista  Ramusius,  that  he  verily 
believed  that  all  the  north  part  of  America  is  divided  into 
Islands.  Secondly,  that  Master  John  Verazzanus,  which 
hath  been  thrice  on  that  coast,  in  an  old  excellent  map 
which  he  gave  to  King  Henry  the  eighth,  and  is  yet  in  the 
custody  of  Master  Locke,  doth  so  lay  it  out." 

Verrazano's  exploration  continued  until  he  came  to  the 
coast  of  Maine,  probably  to  Penobscot  Bay;  therefore,  to 


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VOYAGE  OF  VERRAZANO  FOR   rHE  FRENCH        385 

him  is  due,  to  a  preeminent  degree,  the  honor  of  being  the 
discoverer  of  the  shore  line  of  the  United  States. 

Thus  step  by  step  the  newly  found  land  was  being  dis 
covered  in  its  coast  extent ;  from  Labrador  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  the  prows  of  the  European  navigators'  vessels  had 
pushed  their  way;  the  West  Indies  had  been  discovered  and 
settled,  Yucatan  and  the  coast  of  Mexico  in  part  determined, 
and  Mexico  overrun  by  Spanish  adventurers.  Such  is  the 
epitome  of  western  maritime  discovery  during  the  little  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  that  had  elapsed  since  Columbus 
first  sighted  land  at  Guanahani. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 

ALTHOUGH  France,  too  preoccupied  with  her  changing 
affairs  at  home,  allowed  ten  years  to  elapse  before  she 
availed  herself  of  the  discoveries  of  Aubert  and  Verrazano 
to  extend  her  knowledge  of  the  North  American  coast, 
she  was  not  deterred  from  so  doing  by  any  respect  for  the 
claims  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  which  were  based  on  the  Papal 
Bull.  "Father  Adam's  will"  had  never  been  forthcoming; 
and  when  French  explorers  began  to  penetrate  the  bays  and 
seas  of  the  north  they  were  so  confident  that  their  title 
could  not  be  assailed  that,  on  their  maps,  they  simply  des 
ignated  the  whole  of  North  America  as  "  New  France." 
Many  years  of  hard  fighting  were  needed  before  this  inscrip 
tion  was  rubbed  out  by  the  English;  and  so  thoroughly  did 
France  give  practical  effect  to  her  claim,  by  occupation, 
that  to-day  a  large  portion  of  North  America  is  almost  as 
distinctively  French  in  race,  speech,  and  customs,  as  Mexico 
is  Spanish.  While  French  enterprise  dominates  the  early 
history  of  this  section,  the  name  it  has  acquired  is  reputed 
to  be  due  to  the  Spaniards,  who,  having  sailed  along  the 
northern  shores  of  the  continent,  forsook  them,  because 
they  discovered  no  gold  there.  Thus  disappointed  in  their 
search  for  indications  of  mineral  wealth,  they  are  said  to  have 
exclaimed:  "Acca  nada ! "  [nothing  here]  and  departed. 
When  the  Indians  who  had  heard  this  phrase  saw  other 

387 


388  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

white  men  visiting  their  shores,  they  repeated  the  expres 
sion,  and  thus  originated  the  name  "  Canada."  Hennepin's 
derivation  is  quite  similar:  he  informs  us  that  the  Spaniards 
call  the  country  in  derision  "  Cabo  de  Nada,"  that  is, "  Cape 
Nothing."  But  it  is  more  than  likely  that  these  derivations 
are  merely  fanciful,  and  that  " Canada"  was  the  original 
Indian  word  for  "  village." 

Soon  after  Verrazano's  return  from  his  great  western 
voyage,  the  war  between  Francis  I.  and  Charles  V.  ended 
in  the  former's  defeat  and  capture  at  Pavia.  His  subsequent 
imprisonment  and  the  measures  by  which  he  procured  his 
release  being  terminated,  he  was  at  last  induced  to  redirect 
his  thought  to  the  New  World.  For  this,  France  was 
indebted  to  Philip  Chabot,  her  energetic  high  admiral;  and 
when  the  king  was  ready  to  enter  into  the  project,  Chabot 
had  the  man  who  was  especially  fitted  for  its  carrying  out. 

Jacques  Cartier  was  the  man  whom  Chabot  presented  to 
Francis  as  eminently  fitted  to  carry  forward  the  work  which 
Verrazano  had  begun.  He  was  born  at  St.  Malo,  Decem 
ber  31,  1494.  Coming  of  a  race  of  hardy  mariners  and 
brought  up  in  a  town  the  whole  life  of  which  centred  in 
seafaring,  Jacques  Cartier  took  to  the  maritime  life  as  natu 
rally  as  the  ordinary  man  does  to  walking  and  working  on 
land.  In  the  town  hall  of  St.  Malo  is  to  be  seen  his  por 
trait,  which,  though  greatly  treasured  by  the  inhabitants,  is 
of  too  late  a  date  to  justify  any  degree  of  assurance  that  it 
presents  the  real  features  of  the  explorer.  Cartier  had 
already  earned  a  reputation :  by  the  Spaniards  he  was  called 
a  pirate;  and  doubtless  the  term  was  merited.  But  this 
appellation,  derogatory  as  it  now  is,  only  served  to  win  for 
him  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  countrymen. 

On  the  2Oth  of  April,  1534,  Cartier  sailed  from  St.  Malo 
with  two  ships  of  sixty  tons  each  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men.  He  followed  the  course  well  known  to  the 
fishing  vessels  of  Normandy  and  Brittany,  and  on  the  loth 
of  May  he  came  in  sight  of  Cape  Bona  Vista,  on  the  New 
foundland  coast.  The  harbors  being  still  blocked  with  ice, 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH          389 

he  turned  southward,  and,  sailing  round  by  Cape  Race, 
almost  circumnavigated  the  island.  Then  he  crossed  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to  Prince  Edward's  Island,  and  thence 
went  north  to  a  deep  bay,  which  he  named  "Chaleur";  for 
being  here  in  July  he  experienced  so  great  a  heat  that  it 
caused  much  discomfort.  He  explored  the  shores  of  the 
gulf  in  considerable  detail,  and  at  Gaspe  erected  a  cross  and 
took  possession  of  the  whole  region  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  France. 

On  this  first  voyage  Cartier  did  not  push  his  explorations 
far  beyond  the  points  already  known  to  his  countrymen  who 
visited  those  regions  for  fish  and  furs.  But  he  was  like  a 
general  who  would  first  view  the  fortifications  which  he 
determined  later  to  scale.  This  expedition  served  to  ac 
quaint  him  with  the  points  of  approach  whence,  later,  he 
was  to  break  into  Canada,  penetrate  the  mysteries  and 
reveal  the  grandeur  of  the  Hochelaga,  the  great  river  of 
St.  Lawrence.  Not  deeming  it  wise  to  be  overtaken  by 
winter  in  a  country  noted  for  the  rigors  of  that  season,  he 
reshaped  his  course  eastward,  and,  exploring  the  northern 
shore  of  the  island  of  Anticosti,  passed  again  through  Belle 
Isle  Strait  and  spread  his  sails  for  France.  He  carried  with 
him,  however,  two  natives,  who  were  not  only  to  serve  as 
proofs  of  his  landing  in  strange  regions  and  somewhat  excite 
the  curiosity  of  his  countrymen  in  regard  to  the  same,  but 
who,  after  being  taught  to  speak  French,  would  greatly  aid 
him  in  necessary  intercourse  with  the  natives  on  the  future 
voyage  which  he  was  determined  to  make. 

Though  he  was  not  able  to  carry  back  to  France  any 
well-founded  hope  that  the  kingdom  would  find  enrichment 
in  those  northern  latitudes,  nor  any  word  of  splendors  like 
those  of  Mexico,  for  which  Spain  was  envied  by  all  the 
world,  the  traders  of  Brittany  knew,  nevertheless,  that  the  re 
sources  of  Canada  might  be  made  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
any  enterprise  in  that  direction,  and,  in  any  case,  Francis 
was  willing  to  dispute  the  title  of  Charles  to  the  whole  of 
the  western  world.  Moreover,  it  was  still  believed  that 


390  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

by  dint  of  perseverance  a  way  would  at  last  be  found 
through  the  newly  discovered  continent  to  the  ancient  riches 
of  the  Orient. 

October,  1534,  saw  Cartier  again  preparing  to  make  the 
great  venture.  Chabot  obtained  for  him  the  royal  commis 
sion,  and  by  May  of  the  following  year  he  had  three  small 
vessels  manned  and  ready  to  sail. 

In  the  Principal  Navigations  of  Richard  Hakluyt,  the 
story  is  told  of  the  discovery  of  the  St.  Lawrence  by  Jacques 
Cartier,  as  follows: 

"On  Whitsunday,  the  i6th  of  May,  1535,  by  command 
of  our  captain,  Jacques  Cartier,  and  by  common  consent, 
we  confessed  our  sins  and  received  the  holy  sacrament  in 
the  Cathedral  of  St.  Maloes ;  after  which,  having  all  pre 
sented  ourselves  in  the  choir,  we  received  the  blessing  of 
the  lord  bishop,  being  in  his  robes.  On  Wednesday  fol 
lowing,  the  1 9th  of  that  month,  we  set  sail  with  a  favorable 
gale.  Our  squadron  consisted  of  three  ships.  The  Great 
Hermina,  of  an  hundred  to  an  hundred  and  twenty  tons, 
of  which  Jacques  Cartier  was  captain  and  general  of  the 
expedition,  Thomas  Frosmont  chief  master,  accompanied 
by  Claudius  de  Pont  Briand,  son  to  the  lord  of  Montceuell, 
cupbearer  to  the  Dauphin,  Charles  de  Pomeraies,  John 
Powlet,  and  other  gentlemen.  In  the  second  ship,  of  sixty 
tons,  called  the  Little  Hcrmina,  Mace  Salobert  and  William 
Marie  were  captains  under  the  orders  of  our  general.  The 
third  ship,  of  forty  tons,  called  the  Hermerillon,  was  com 
manded  by  William  Britton  and  James  Maingare.  The 
day  after  we  set  sail,  the  prosperous  gale  was  changed  into 
storms  and  contrary  winds,  with  darksome  fogs,  in  which 
we  suffered  exceedingly  till  the  25th  of  June,  when  our 
three  ships  lost  sight  of  each  other,  and  never  rejoined  again 
till  after  our  arrival  at  Newfoundland.  We  in  the  general's 
ship  continued  to  be  tossed  about  by  contrary  winds  till  the 
yth  of  July,  when  we  made  the  Island  of  Birds,  fourteen 
leagues  from  the  main  of  Newfoundland.  This  island  is 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


391 


so  full  of  birds  that  our  ships  might  have  been  loaded  with 
them,  and  the  quantity  taken  away  not  missed.  We  took 
away  two  boatloads,  to  increase  our  sea  stores.  The  Isle 
of  Birds  is  in  latitude  49°  40'  N. 

"  We  left  this  island  with  a  fair  wind  on  the  8th  of  July, 
and  came  to  the  harbor  of  White  Sands,  or  Blanc  Sablon, 
in  the  Grand  Bay,  or  Baye  des  Chateaux,  where  the  rendez 
vous  of  the  squadron  had  been  appointed.  We  remained 
here  till  the  26th  of  July,  when  both  of  the  other  ships 
joined  us,  and  we  then  laid  in  a  stock  of  wood  and  water 
for  enabling  us  to  proceed  on  our  voyage.  Everything 
being  in  readiness,  we  set  sail  from  White  Sands  early  in 
the  morning  of  the  29th,  and  sailing  along  the  northern 
coast,  which  runs  from  S.  W.  to  N.  E.,  we  passed  by  two 
islands,  lying  farther  out  than  the  others,  which  we  named 
St.  William's  Islands,  being  twenty  leagues  or  more  from 
the  port  called  Brest.  All  the  coast  from  the  Baye  des 
Chateaux  to  that  place  lies  E.  and  W.,  N.  E.  and  S.  W., 
off  which  there  are  sundry  small  islands,  the  whole  being 
stony  and  barren,  without  soil  or  trees,  except  in  a  few 
narrow  valleys.  Next  day,  we  sailed  twelve  leagues  and  a 
half  westwards,  in  search  of  other  islands,  among  which 
there  is  a  great  bay  towards  the  north,  all  full  of  islands  and 
great  creeks,  among  which  there  seemed  to  be  many  good 
harbors.  We  named  these  the  Islands  of  St.  Martha,  off 
which,  about  a  league  and  a  half  farther  out  to  sea,  there  is 
a  dangerous  shallow,  and  about  seven  leagues  from  the 
Islands  of  St.  Martha,  on  the  east  and  on  the  west,  as  you 
pass  to  these  islands,  there  are  five  rocks.  We  passed  these 
about  one  in  the  afternoon ;  and  from  that  time  till  mid 
night  we  sailed  about  fifteen  leagues,  passing  to  the  south- 
eastwards  of  a  cape  of  the  lower  islands,  which  we  named 
St.  Germain's  Islands ;  about  three  leagues  from  which  cape 
there  is  a  very  dangerous  shallow.  Likewise  between  Cape 
St.  Germain's  and  Cape  St.  Martha,  about  two  leagues  from 
the  before-mentioned  islands,  there  is  a  bank  of  sand  on 
which  the  water  is  only  four  fathoms  deep.  On  account 


39* 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


of  the  dangerous  nature  of  this  coast,  we  struck  sail  and 
came  to  anchor  for  the  rest  of  the  night. 

u  Next  day,  being  the  last  of  July,  we  went  along  all  that 
part  of  the  coast  which  runs  E.  and  W.,  or  somewhat 
southeasterly,  all  of  which  is  beset  with  islands  and  dry 
sands,  and  is  consequently  of  very  dangerous  navigation. 
The  distance  from  Cape  St.  Germain's  to  these  islands  is 
about  seventeen  and  one-half  leagues,  beyond  which  is  a 
goodly  plot  of  ground,  surrounded  by  large  tall  trees;  but 
all  the  rest  of  the  coast  is  encompassed  with  sandbanks, 
without  any  appearance  of  harbors  till  we  come  to  Cape 
Thiennot,  about  seven  leagues  northwest  from  these  islands. 
Having  noted  this  cape  in  our  former  voyage,  we  sailed  on 
all  this  night  to  the  west  and  west-northwest  till  day;  and  as 
the  wind  then  became  contrary,  we  looked  out  for  a  harbor 
in  which  to  shelter  our  ships,  and  found  one  for  our  pur 
pose  which  we  named  Port  St.  Nicholas.  This  port  lies 
amid  four  islands  off  the  mainland,  and  we  set  up  a  cross 
on  the  nearest  of  these  islands  as  a  landmark  or  beacon. 
In  entering  Port  St.  Nicholas,  this  cross  must  be  brought 
to  bear  N.  E.  and  passed  on  the  left  hand  of  the  steersman, 
by  which  means  you  find  six  fathoms  water  in  the  passage, 
and  four  within  the  port.  Care  must  be  taken,  however, 
to  avoid  two  shelves  which  stretch  out  half  a  league  to 
seawards. 

"The  whole  of  this  coast  is  full  of  dangerous  shoals, 
yet  having  the  deceitful  appearance  of  many  good  havens. 
We  remained  at  Port  St.  Nicholas  till  Sunday,  the  yth  of 
August,  when  we  made  sail  and  approached  the  land  south 
wards  by  Cape  Rabart,  which  is  twenty  leagues  from  Port 
St.  Nicholas  S.  S.  W.  Next  day  the  wind  became  bois 
terous  and  contrary,  and,  as  we  could  not  find  any  haven 
to  the  southward,  we  coasted  along  northward  about  ten 
leagues  beyond  Port  St.  Nicholas,  where  we  found  a  goodly 
great  gulf,  full  of  islands,  passages,  and  entrances,  answer 
able  for  any  wind  whatever.  This  gulf  may  easily  be 
known  by  a  great  island,  resembling  a  cape,  stretching 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


393 


somewhat  farther  out  than  the  other  islands,  and  about  two 
leagues  inland  there  is  a  hill  which  resembles  a  corn  rick. 
We  named  this  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  On  the  I2th 
of  the  month,  we  sailed  westwards  from  this  gulf,  and  dis 
covered  a  cape  of  land  toward  the  south,  about  twenty-five 
leagues  W.  and  by  S.  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The 
two  savages  whom  we  took  with  us  on  our  former  voyage 
informed  us  that  this  cape  formed  part  of  the  great  southern 
coast ;  and  that  by  the  southern  part  of  an  island  which 
they  pointed  out  was  the  way  to  Canada  from  Honguedo, 
whence  we  took  them  last  year.  They  said  further,  that  at 
two  days'  journey  from  this  cape  and  island  the  kingdom 
of  Saguenay  began.  On  the  north  shore  of  this  island, 
extending  towards  Canada,  and  about  three  leagues  off"  this 
cape,  there  are  above  one  hundred  fathoms  water;  and  I 
believe  there  never  were  as  many  whales  seen  at  once  as 
we  saw  that  day  around  this  cape.  Next  day,  the  I5th  of 
August,  having  passed  the  strait,  we  had  notice  of  certain 
lands  which  we  had  left  towards  the  south,  which  are  full 
of  extensive  high  hills.  We  named  the  before-mentioned 
cape  the  Island  of  Assumption;  from  which  one  cape  of 
the  before-mentioned  high  country  trends  E.  N.  E.  and 
W.  S.  W.  distant  twenty-five  leagues.  The  northern  coun 
try,  for  more  than  thirty  leagues  in  length,  is  obviously 
higher  than  that  which  is  to  the  southwards.  We  coasted 
along  the  southern  lands  till  noon  of  the  iyth,  when  the 
wind  came  round  to  the  west;  after  which  we  steered  for 
the  northern  coast  which  we  had  before  seen,  and  found  it 
low  toward  the  sea,  and  the  northern  range  of  mountains 
within  this  low  land  stretch  from  east  to  west  one-quarter 
south.  Our  two  savages  informed  us  that  Saguenay  began 
here,  which  is  an  inhabited  land  producing  copper,  which 
they  call  caignetdaze.  The  distance  between  the  southern 
and  northern  lands  is  about  thirty  leagues,  and  the  gulf 
between  is  above  two  hundred  fathoms  deep.  The  savages 
informed  us  likewise  that  the  great  river  Hochelaga  began 
here,  by  which  was  the  direct  way  to  Canada;  and  which 


394 


DISCOVER  T  AND  EXPL ORA TION 


river  becomes  always  narrower  as  we  approach  towards 
Canada,  where  the  water  is  fresh.  They  said  further  that 
it  penetrates  so  far  inland  that  they  had  never  heard  of 
anyone  who  had  reached  its  head.  On  considering  their 
account,  our  captain  resolved  to  proceed  no  farther  at  this 
time,  more  especially  as  they  said  there  was  no  other  pas 
sage,  meaning  to  examine  in  the  first  place  the  northern 
coast  between  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  this  great 
river,  to  see  if  any  other  passage  could  be  discovered. 

"  We  accordingly  turned  back  on  Wednesday,  the  i8th  of 
August,  along  the  northern  coast,  which  trends  from  N.  E. 
to  S.  W.  like  half  of  a  bow,  and  is  very  high  land,  yet  not 
so  high  as  the  southern  coast.  Next  day  we  came  to  seven 
high  round  islands,  which  we  named  the  Seven  Isles,  which 
stretch  three  or  four  leagues  out  to  sea,  and  are  forty  leagues 
from  the  southern  shore  of  the  gulf.  Over  against  these, 
the  northern  shore  consists  of  good  low  grounds  full  of  fine 
trees,  having  various  sandbanks  almost  dry  at  low  water, 
and  reaching  two  leagues  from  shore.  At  the  farther  ex 
tremity  of  these  low  lands,  which  continue  for  ten  leagues, 
there  is  a  river  of  fresh  water  which  runs  with  such  rapidity 
into  the  sea  that  the  water  is  quite  fresh  a  league  from  its 
mouth.  Entering  this  river  with  our  boats,  we  had  about 
a  fathom  and  a  half  water  at  its  mouth. 

"In  this  river  we  found  many  fishes  resembling  horses, 
which  our  savages  told  us  lay  all  day  in  the  water  and  went 
on  shore  at  night.  We  set  sail  at  daybreak  of  the  2ist, 
continuing  our  progress  along  the  northern  coast  of  the 
gulf,  which  we  traced  the  whole  of  that  day  to  the  north 
east,  and  then  stood  over  to  the  Island  of  Assumption,  being 
assured  that  no  passage  was  to  be  found  in  that  direction. 
Returning  to  the  harbor  at  the  Seven  Isles,  which  has 
nine  or  ten  fathoms  water,  we  were  detained  there  by  mists 
and  contrary  winds  till  the  24th,  when  we  stood  over  to 
the  southern  coast,  and  came  to  a  harbor  about  eighty 
leagues  from  these  islands.  This  harbor  is  over  against 
three  flat  islands  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  between  which 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


395 


islands  and  the  harbor  there  is  a  very  great  river  which  runs 
between  high  and  low  lands.  For  more  than  three  leagues 
out  to  sea  there  are  many  dangerous  shelves,  leaving  not 
quite  two  fathoms  water,  so  that  the  entrance  is  very  dan 
gerous;  yet  near  these  shelves  the  water  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  fathoms  deep  from  shore  to  shore.  All  the  north 
ern  coast  runs  from  N.  E.  and  by  N.  to  S.  W.  and  by  S. 
This  haven  is  of  but  small  value,  as  it  is  only  formed  by 
the  tide  of  flood,  and  is  inaccessible  at  low  water.  We 
named  the  three  small  flat  islets  St.  John's  Isles,  because 
we  discovered  them  on  the  day  of  St.  John  the  Baptist's 
decapitation.  Before  coming  to  this  haven  there  is  an  island 
about  five  leagues  to  the  eastward,  between  which  and 
the  land  there  is  no  passage  except  for  small  boats.  The 
best  station  for  ships  in  this  harbor  is  to  the  south  of  a  little 
island  and  almost  close  to  its  shore.  The  tide  here  flows 
at  least  two  fathoms,  but  ships  have  to  lie  aground  at  low 
water. 

"Leaving  this  harbor  on  the  ist  of  September,  we  pro 
posed  sailing  for  Canada;  and  at  about  fifteen  leagues 
W.  S.  W.  we  came  to  three  islands,  over  against  which  is  a 
deep  and  rapid  river,  which  our  two  savages  told  us  leads  to 
the  country  and  kingdom  of  Saguenay.  This  river  runs  be 
tween  very  high  and  steep  hills  of  bare  rock,  with  very  little 
soil;  yet  great  numbers  of  trees  grow  among  these  rocks, 
as  luxuriantly  as  if  upon  level  and  fertile  land,  insomuch 
that  some  of  them  would  make  masts  for  vessels  of  thirty 
tons.  At  the  mouth  of  this  river  we  met  four  canoes  full 
of  savages,  who  seemed  very  fearful  of  us,  and  some  of 
them  even  went  away.  One  of  the  canoes,  however,  ven 
tured  to  approach  within  hail,  when  one  of  our  savages 
spoke  to  the  people,  telling  his  name,  on  which  they  came 
to  us.  Next  day,  leaving  that  river,  we  proceeded  on  for 
Canada;  and  in  consequence  of  the  rapidity  of  the  tide,  we 
found  the  navigation  very  dangerous;  more  especially  as  to 
the  southward  of  that  river  there  are  two  islands,  around 
which  for  above  three  leagues  there  are  many  rocks  and  great 


396  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

stones,  and  only  two  fathoms  water.  Besides,  the  direction 
of  the  tide  among  these  islands  and  rocks  is  very  uncertain 
and  changeable;  so  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  our  boats, 
we  had  been  in  great  danger  of  losing  our  pinnace.  In 
coasting  along,  we  found  above  thirty  fathoms  water  just 
off  shore,  except  among  these  rocks  and  islands.  About 
five  leagues  beyond  the  river  Saguenay,  to  the  S.  W.,  there  is 
another  island  on  the  north  side  containing  high  land,  where 
we  proposed  to  have  come  to  anchor  in  waiting  for  the  next 
tide  of  flood,  but  we  had  no  ground  with  a  line  of  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  fathoms  only  an  arrow-shot  from  shore ;  so 
that  we  were  obliged  to  return  to  that  island,  where  we  had 
thirty-five  fathoms.  We  set  sail  again  next  morning  to 
proceed  onwards;  and  this  day  we  got  notice  of  a  strange 
kind  of  fish  which  had  never  been  seen  before,  which  are 
called  adkothuys  by  the  natives.  They  are  about  the  big 
ness  of  a  porpoise,  but  no  way  like  them,  having  well- 
proportioned  bodies  and  heads  like  a  greyhound,  their  whole 
bodies  being  entirely  white  without  spot.  There  are  great 
numbers  of  them  in  this  river,  and  they  always  keep  in  the 
water,  the  natives  saying  that  they  are  very  savory  and  good 
eating,  and  are  nowhere  else  to  be  found  but  in  the  mouth 
of  this  river.  On  the  6th  of  September  we  proceeded  about 
fifteen  leagues  farther  up  the  river,  where  we  found  an  island 
having  a  small  haven  towards  the  north,  around  which 
there  were  innumerable  large  tortoises.  There  are  here 
likewise  vast  numbers  of  the  fish  adhothuys,  already  men 
tioned;  and  the  rapidity  of  the  tide  at  this  place  is  as  great 
as  it  is  at  Bordeaux  in  France.  This  island  is  about  three 
leagues  long  and  two  broad,  all  of  rich  fertile  soil,  having 
many  fine  trees  of  various  kinds;  among  which  were  many 
filbert  trees,  full  of  nuts,  which  we  found  to  be  larger  and 
better  than  ours,  but  somewhat  harder,  on  which  account 
we  named  it  Isle  aux  Coudres,  or  Filbert  Island. 

"  On  the  yth  of  the  month  we  went  seven  or  eight  leagues 
up  the  river  from  Filbert  Island  to  fourteen  other  islands, 
where  the  country  of  Canada  begins.  One  of  these  islands 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


397 


is  ten  leagues  long  and  five  broad,  thickly  inhabited  by 
natives  who  live  entirely  by  fishing  in  the  river.  Having 
cast  anchor  between  this  island  and  the  northern  coast,  we 
went  on  shore,  accompanied  by  our  two  savages,  whose 
names  were  Taignoagny  and  Domagaia.  At  first  the  inhabit 
ants  of  the  island  avoided  us,  till  at  length  our  two  savages 
got  speech  of  some  of  them,  telling  who  they  were,  on 
which  the  natives  seemed  much  rejoiced,  dancing  and  sing 
ing  and  showing  many  other  ceremonies;  many  of  their 
chief  men  came  now  to  our  boats,  bringing  great  numbers 
of  eels  and  other  fishes,  likewise  two  or  three  burdens  of 
great  millet  or  maize,  and  many  very  large  muskmelons. 
On  the  same  day  many  canoes  filled  with  natives,  both 
men  and  women,  came  to  visit  our  two  savages,  all  of 
whom  were  received  in  a  kindly  manner  by  our  captain, 
who  gave  them  many  things  of  small  value,  with  which  they 
were  much  gratified.  Next  day  the  lord  of  Canada  came 
to  our  ships  with  twelve  canoes  and  many  people;  but 
causing  ten  of  his  canoes  to  go  back  again,  he  came  up  to 
our  ships  with  only  two  canoes  and  sixteen  men.  The 
proper  name  of  this  person  was  Donnacona,  but  his  digni 
fied  name,  as  a  lord  or  chief,  was  Agouhanna.  On  coming 
near  the  smallest  of  our  ships,  he  stood  up  in  his  canoe  and 
made  a  long  oration,  moving  his  body  and  limbs  in  an 
extraordinary  manner,  which  among  them  pass  for  signs  of 
friendship  and  security.  He  then  came  up  towards  the 
general's  ship,  in  which  were  Taignoagny  and  Domagaia, 
with  whom  he  entered  into  conversation.  These  men 
related  to  him  all  that  they  had  seen  in  France,  and  what 
good  treatment  they  had  received  in  that  country,  at  all 
which  Agouhanna  seemed  much  pleased,  and  desired  our 
captain  to  hold  out  his  arm  for  him  to  kiss.  Our  captain 
now  went  into  Agouhanna's  canoe,  and  made  bread  and 
wine  be  handed  down  to  him,  which  he  offered  to  the  chief 
and  his  followers,  with  which  they  were  much  gratified. 
\Vhen  all  this  was  over,  our  captain  came  again  on  board, 
and  the  chief  went  with  his  canoes  to  his  own  abode. 


398  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

"The  captain  ordered  all  the  boats  to  be  made  ready,  in 
which  we  went  up  the  river  against  the  stream  for  ten 
leagues,  keeping  close  to  the  shore  of  the  island,  at  which 
distance  we  found  an  excellent  sound  with  a  small  river 
and  haven,  in  which  there  are  about  three  fathoms  water 
at  flood  tide.  As  this  place  seemed  very  pleasant  and  safe 
for  our  ships,  we  brought  them  thither,  calling  it  the  harbor 
of  St.  Croix,  because  discovered  on  Holy  Cross  Day.  Near 
this  is  a  village  named  Stadacona,  of  which  Donnacona  is 
lord,  and  where  he  resides.  It  stands  on  a  piece  of  as  fine 
fertile  ground  as  one  would  wish  to  see,  full  of  as  goodly 
trees  as  are  to  be  seen  in  France,  such  as  oaks,  elms,  ashes, 
walnut  trees,  maples,  cydrons,  vines,  and  white  thorns  which 
bear  fruit  as  large  as  damson  plums,  and  many  other  sorts 
of  trees.  Under  these  there  grows  great  abundance  of  fine 
tall  hemp,  which  springs  up  spontaneously  without  cultiva 
tion.  Having  examined  this  place  and  found  it  fit  for  the 
purpose,  the  captain  proposed  returning  to  the  ships  to 
bring  them  to  this  port;  but  we  were  met,  when  coming 
out  of  the  river,  by  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Stadacona,  accom 
panied  by  ma-ny  men,  women,  and  children.  This  chief 
made  a  long  oration  to  us,  all  the  women  dancing  and  sing 
ing  for  joy  up  to  the  knees  in  water.  The  captain  caused 
the  canoe  to  come  alongside  of  his  boat,  and  presented  them 
all  with  some  trifles,  such  as  knives,  glass  beads,  and  the  like, 
with  which  they  were  so  much  delighted  that  we  could  hear 
them  singing  and  dancing  when  we  were  three  leagues  off. 

"  After  returning  to  the  ships,  the  captain  landed  again  on 
the  island,  to  examine  and  admire  the  beauty,  variety,  and 
luxuriance  of  its  trees  and  vegetables.  On  account  of  the 
great  number  of  vines  which  it  produced  everywhere  in  pro 
fusion,  he  named  it  the  Island  of  Bacchus,  but  it  is  now 
called  the  Isle  of  Orleans.  It  is  in  length  twelve  leagues, 
exceedingly  pleasant  and  fruitful,  and  everywhere  covered 
with  trees,  except  in  some  places  where  there  are  a  few 
huts  of  fishers,  around  which  some  small  patches  are  cleared 
and  cultivated.  We  departed  with  our  ships  next  day,  and 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


399 


on  the  1 4th  of  September  we  brought  them  up  to  Port 
St.  Croix,  and  were  met  on  the  way  by  the  lord  Donna 
cona,  accompanied  by  our  two  savages,  Taignoagny  and 
Domagaia,  with  twenty-five  canoes  full  of  natives;  all  of 
whom  came  to  our  ships  with  every  sign  of  mirth  and  con 
fidence,  except  our  own  two  savages,  who  would  on  no 
account  come  on  board,  though  repeatedly  invited,  on  which 
we  began  to  suspect  some  sinister  intentions.  On  the  next 
day,  the  captain  went  on  shore  to  give  directions  for  fixing 
certain  piles  or  stakes  in  the  water  for  the  greater  security 
of  our  ships,  and  Donnacona  with  a  considerable  number  of 
the  natives  came  to  meet  him ;  but  our  two  savages  kept 
aloof  under  a  point  or  nook  of  land  at  some  distance,  and 
would  on  no  account  join  our  company.  Understanding 
where  they  were,  our  captain  went  towards  them,  accom 
panied  by  some  of  our  men ;  and  after  the  customary  salu 
tations,  Taignoagny  represented  that  Donnacona  was  much 
dissatisfied  because  the  captain  and  his  men  were  always 
armed,  while  the  natives  were  not.  To  this  the  captain 
answered  that  he  was  sorry  this  should  give  offence;  but 
as  they  two  who  had  been  in  France  knew  that  this  was 
the  custom  of  their  country,  he  could  not  possibly  do  other 
wise.  Yet  Donnacona  continued  to  converse  with  our 
captain  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  and  we  concluded  that 
Taignoagny  and  Domagaia  had  invented  this  pretence  of 
their  own  accord;  more  especially  as  Donnacona  and  our 
captain  entered  into  the  strictest  bonds  of  friendship,  on 
which  all  the  natives  set  up  three  horrible  yells,  after  which 
the  companies  separated,  and  we  went  on  board.  On  the 
following  day,  we  brought  the  two  largest  of  our  ships  unto 
the  harbor  within  the  mouth  of  the  small  river,  in  which 
there  are  three  fathoms  water  at  flood  tide,  and  only  half  a 
fathom  at  the  ebb.  The  pinnace,  or  smallest  vessel,  was 
left  at  anchor  without  the  harbor,  as  we  intended  to  use 
her  for  exploring  the  Hochelaga.  As  soon  as  our  ships 
were  placed  in  safety,  we  saw  Donnacona  coming  towards 
us,  accompanied  by  Taignoagny,  Domagaia,  and  above  five 


400  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

hundred  natives,  men,  women,  and  children.  Donnacona 
and  ten  or  twelve  of  the  principal  persons  came  on  board 
the  captain's  ship,  where  they  were  courteously  received 
by  the  captain  and  all  of  us,  and  many  gifts  of  small  value 
were  given  them.  Then  Taignoagny  informed  our  captain 
that  Donnacona  was  dissatisfied  with  our  intention  of  ex 
ploring  the  Hochelaga,  and  would  not  allow  anyone  to  go 
with  us.  The  captain  said,  in  reply,  that  he  was  resolved 
to  go  there  if  possible,  as  he  had  been  ordered  by  his  sover 
eign  to  penetrate  the  country  in  that  direction  as  far  as  was 
practicable;  that  if  Taignoagny  would  go  along  with  him, 
as  he  had  promised,  he  should  be  well  used,  and  should  be 
rewarded  to  his  satisfaction  on  their  return.  This  was 
refused  by  Taignoagny,  and  the  whole  of  the  savages 
immediately  retired. 

"  Next  day,  the  I  jth  of  September,  Donnacona  and  his 
company  came  back  to  us,  bringing  many  eels  and  other 
fishes,  which  they  procure  in  great  abundance  in  the  river. 
On  their  arrival  at  the  ships,  all  the  savages  fell  a  dancing 
and  singing  as  usual,  after  which  Donnacona  caused  all  his 
people  to  stand  off  on  one  side;  then,  making  our  captain 
and  all  our  people  stand  within  a  circle  which  he  drew  on 
the  sand,  he  made  a  long  oration,  holding  a  female  child  of 
ten  or  twelve  years  old  by  the  hand,  whom  he  presented  to 
our  captain  at  the  end  of  his  speech;  upon  which  all  his 
people  set  up  three  loud  howls,  in  token  of  joy  and  friend 
ship,  at  least  so  we  understood  them.  Donnacona  after 
wards  presented  two  boys  successively,  who  were  younger 
than  the  girl,  accompanied  by  other  ceremonies,  among 
which  were  very  loud  shrieks  or  yells  as  before.  For 
these  presents  our  captain  gave  many  hearty  thanks.  Then 
Taignoagny  told  the  captain  that  one  of  the  boys  was  his 
own  brother,  and  that  the  girl  was  daughter  to  a  sister  of 
Donnacona;  and  that  the  presents  had  been  given  on  pur 
pose  to  induce  him  not  to  go  to  Hochelaga.  To  this  the 
captain  answered  that  he  would  certainly  return  the  chil 
dren,  if  that  were  the  purpose  of  the  gift;  as  he  could  on  no 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH          401 

account  desist  from  going  where  he  had  been  commanded 
by  his  king.  But  Domagaia,  the  other  savage  who  had  been 
in  France,  told  the  captain  that  the  children  had  been  pre 
sented  as  a  token  of  friendship  and  security,  and  that  he, 
Domagaia,  was  willing  to  accompany  us  to  Hochelaga.  On 
this,  high  words  arose  between  Taignoagny  and  Domagaia, 
by  which  we  inferred  that  the  former  was  a  crafty  knave, 
and  intended  to  do  us  some  treacherous  act  of  mischief,  as 
indeed  sufficiently  appeared  from  his  former  conduct.  The 
captain  sent  the  children  to  our  ships,  whence  he  caused 
two  swords  and  two  brass  basons  to  be  brought,  which  he 
presented  to  Donnacona,  who  was  much  gratified  and  ex 
pressed  great  thankfulness,  commanding  all  his  people  to 
sing  and  dance.  The  chief  then  expressed  a  desire  to  have 
one  of  our  cannons  fired  off,  as  our  two  savages  had  told 
him  many  wonderful  things  respecting  them.  He  accord 
ingly  ordered  twelve  cannons,  loaded  with  ball,  to  be  fired 
off  into  the  woods  close  by,  at  which  all  the  savages  were 
greatly  astonished,  as  if  heaven  had  fallen  upon  them,  and  ran 
away  howling,  shrieking,  and  yelling,  as  if  all  hell  had  broken 
loose.  Before  we  went  on  board,  Taignoagny  informed  us 
that  our  people  in  the  pinnace,  which  we  had  left  at  anchor 
without  the  harbor,  had  slain  two  men  by  a  shot  from  one 
of  their  cannons,  on  which  all  the  natives  had  fled  away. 
This  we  afterwards  found  to  be  false,  as  our  men  had  not 
fired  any  that  day. 

u  The  savages  still  endeavored  to  hinder  us  from  going  to 
Hochelaga,  and  devised  the  following  stratagem  to  induce 
us  not  to  go.  They  dressed  up  three  men  like  devils,  in 
black  and  white  dogs'  skins,  having  their  faces  blackened, 
and  with  horns  on  their  heads  a  yard  long.  These  men 
were  put  secretly  into  a  canoe,  while  all  the  savages  lay  hid 
in  the  wood,  awaiting  the  tide  to  bring  the  canoe  with  the 
mock  devils.  On  the  approach  of  that  canoe,  all  the  savages 
came  out  of  the  wood,  but  did  not  come  so  near  us  as  usual. 
Taignoagny  came  forwards  to  salute  our  captain,  who  asked 
if  he  would  have  a  boat  sent  to  bring  him  on  board ;  but 


402  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

he  declined  to  do  so  then,  saying  that  he  would  come  on 
board  afterwards.  At  this  time  the  canoe  with  the  three 
devils  made  its  appearance,  and  on  passing  close  by  the  ships, 
one  of  these  men  stood  up  and  made  a  long  oration,  with 
out  ever  turning  round  to  look  at  us.  The  boat  floated  past 
us  towards  the  land,  on  which  Donnacona  and  all  his  people 
pursued  them  and  laid  hold  of  the  canoe,  on  which  the  three 
devils  fell  down  as  if  dead,  when  they  were  carried  out  into 
the  wood,  followed  by  all  the  savages.  We  could  hear 
them  from  our  ships  in  long  and  loud  conference  above 
half  an  hour;  after  which  Taignoagny  and  Domagaia  came 
towards  us,  holding  their  hands  joined  above  their  heads, 
and  carrying  their  hats  under  their  upper  garments,  as  if  in 
great  astonishment.  Taignoagny,  looking  up  to  heaven,  ex 
claimed  three  times:  'Jesus!  Jesus!  Jesus!'  Domagaia  in 
the  same  manner  cried  out :  'Jesus  Maria !  Jacques  Cartier ! ' 
On  seeing  these  gestures  and  ceremonies,  our  captain  asked 
what  was  the  matter,  and  what  had  happened.  They 
answered  that  they  had  very  ill  news  to  tell,  saying  in 
French  Nenni  est  il  bon,  or  '  it  is  not  good.'  On  being  again 
asked  what  all  this  meant,  they  said  that  their  god  Coudou- 
agny  had  spoken  in  Hochelaga,  and  had  sent  these  three 
men  to  say  there  was  so  much  ice  and  snow  in  that  country, 
that  whoever  ventured  there  would  surely  die.  On  this  we 
laughed,  mocking  them,  saying  that  their  god  Coudouagny 
was  a  fool,  and  knew  not  what  he  said;  and  desired  them  to 
show  us  his  messengers,  saying  that  Christ  would  defend 
them  from  all  cold  if  they  believed  in  him.  They  then  asked 
the  captain  if  he  had  spoken  with  Jesus ;  who  answered  «<?, 
but  the  priests  had,  who  had  assured  him  of  fair  weather. 
They  then  thanked  the  captain  for  this  intelligence,  and 
went  into  the  wood  to  communicate  it  to  the  rest,  who  all 
now  rushed  from  the  wood  as  if  glad  of  the  news,  giving 
three  great  shouts,  and  then  fell  to  dancing  and  singing  as 
usual.  Yet  our  two  savages  declared  that  Donnacona  would 
not  allow  anyone  to  accompany  us  to  Hochelaga,  unless 
some  hostage  was  left  for  his  safe  return.  The  captain  then 


FRENCH  EXPLORAriON  OF  THE  NORTH 


403 


said  if  they  would  not  go  willingly  they  might  stay,  and  he 
would  go  without  them. 

"  On  the  i  gth  of  September  we  hoisted  sail  in  the  pinnace, 
accompanied  by  two  of  our  boats,  the  captain  taking  most 
of  his  officers  and  fifty  mariners  along  with  him,  intending 
to  go  up  the  river  towards  Hochelaga  with  the  tide  of  flood. 
Both  shores  of  the  river,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  appeared 
as  goodly  a  country  as  could  be  desired,  all  replenished  with 
fine  trees,  among  which  all  along  the  river  grew  numerous 
vines  as  full  of  grapes  as  they  could  hang,  which,  though 
quite  natural,  seemed  as  if  they  had  been  planted.  Yet,  as 
they  were  not  dressed  and  managed  according  to  art,  their 
bunches  were  not  so  large  nor  their  grapes  so  sweet  as 
ours.  We  also  saw  many  huts  along  the  river,  inhabited 
by  fishers,  who  came  to  us  with  as  much  familiarity  and 
kindness  as  if  we  had  been  their  countrymen,  bringing  us 
great  quantities  of  fish  and  such  other  things  as  they  had, 
for  which  we  paid  them  in  trifles  to  their  great  contentment. 
We  stopped  at  the  place  named  Hochelay,  twenty-five 
leagues  above  Canada,  where  the  river  becomes  very  narrow 
with  a  rapid  current,  and  very  dangerous  on  account  of 
certain  stones  or  rocks.  Many  canoes  came  ofF  to  us,  in 
one  of  which  came  the  chief  man  of  the  place,  who  made 
us  a  long  oration,  explaining  by  signs  and  gestures  that  the 
river  became  more  dangerous  the  higher  we  went,  and 
advising  us  to  take  good  care  of  ourselves.  This  chief 
presented  two  of  his  own  children  to  our  captain,  one  of 
wrhich  only  he  received,  being  a  girl  of  seven  or  eight  years 
old,  returning  the  boy,  who  was  too  young,  being  only  two 
or  three  years  of  age.  The  captain  entertained  this  chief 
and  his  company  as  well  as  he  could,  presenting  them  all 
with  some  trifles,  with  which  they  returned  to  the  shore 
well  pleased.  This  chief  and  his  wife  came  down  after 
wards  to  Canada  to  visit  their  child,  and  brought  with  them 
some  small  presents  for  our  captain. 

"From  the  iQth  to  the  28th  of  September,  we  sailed  up 
this  great  river,  never  losing  an  hour  of  time,  finding  the 


404 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


whole  land  on  both  sides  as  pleasant  a  country  as  could  be 
desired,  full  of  fine  tall  trees,  as  oak,  elm,  walnut,  cedar, 
fir,  ash,  box,  willow,  and  great  store  of  vines  loaded  with 
grapes,  so  that  when  any  of  our  people  went  on  shore,  they 
brought  back  as  many  as  they  could  carry.  There  were, 
likewise,  cranes,  swans,  geese,  ducks,  pheasants,  partridges, 
thrushes,  blackbirds,  finches,  redbreasts,  nightingales,  spar 
rows,  and  many  other  birds  like  those  of  France,  in  vast 
abundance.  On  the  28th  of  September  we  came  to  a  wide 
lake,  or  enlargement  of  the  river,  five  or  six  leagues  broad 
and  twelve  long,  which  we  called  the  Lake  of  Angoulesme, 
all  through  which  we  went  against  the  tide,  having  only 
two  fathoms  water.  On  our  arrival  at  the  upper  extremity 
of  the  lake,  we  could  find  no  passage,  as  it  seemed  entirely 
shut  up,  and  had  only  a  fathom  and  a  half  water,  a  little 
more  or  less.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to  cast  anchor 

O 

here  with  our  pinnace,  and  went  with  our  two  boats  to  seek 
out  some  passage;  and  in  one  place  we  found  four  or  five 
branches  which  seemed  to  come  from  the  river  of  Hoche- 
laga  into  the  lake;  but  at  the  mouth  of  these  branches, 
owing  to  the  great  rapidity  of  the  currents,  there  were  bars 
or  shallows  having  only  six  feet  water.  After  passing  these 
shallows,  we  had  four  or  five  fathoms  at  flood  tide,  this 
being  the  season  of  the  year  when  the  water  is  lowest;  for 
at  other  times  the  tide  flows  higher  by  three  fathoms.  All 
these  four  or  five  branches  of  the  river  surround  five  or  six 
very  pleasant  islands,  which  are  at  the  head  of  the  lake; 
and  about  fifteen  leagues  higher  up  all  these  unite  into  one. 
We  landed  on  one  of  these  islands,  where  we  met  five 
natives,  who  were  hunting  wild  beasts,  and  who  came  as 
familiarly  to  our  boats  as  if  they  had  always  lived  amongst 
us.  When  our  boats  were  near  the  shore,  one  of  these 
men  took  our  captain  in  his  arms  and  carried  him  to  the 
land  with  as  much  ease  as  if  he  had  been  a  child  of  five 
years  old.  We  found  that  these  people  had  taken  a  great 
number  of  wild  rats  which  live  in  the  water,  which  are  as 
large  as  rabbits  and  very  good  to  eat.  They  gave  these 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


405 


to  our  captain,  who  gave  them  knives  and  glass  beads  in 
return.  We  asked  them  by  signs  if  this  were  the  way  to 
Hochelaga,  to  which  they  answered  that  it  was,  and  that  we 
had  still  three  days'  sail  to  go  thither. 

"  Finding  it  impossible  to  take  the  pinnace  any  higher,  the 
captain  ordered  the  boats  to  be  made  ready  for  the  rest  of 
the  expedition,  taking  on  board  as  much  ammunition  and 
provisions  as  they  could  carry.  He  departed  with  these  on 
the  29th  of  September,  accompanied  by  Claudius  de  Pont 
Briand,  Charles  de  Pomeraies,  John  Govion,  and  John 
Powlet,  with  twenty-eight  mariners,  intending  to  go  up  the 
river  as  far  as  possible.  We  sailed  with  prosperous  weather 
till  the  2nd  of  October,  when  we  arrived  at  Hochelaga, 
which  is  forty-five  leagues  above  the  head  of  the  Lake  of 
Angoulesme,  where  we  left  the  pinnace.  At  this  place,  and 
indeed  all  the  way  up,  we  met  with  many  of  the  natives, 
who  brought  us  fish  and  other  provisions,  always  dancing 
and  singing  on  our  arrival.  To  gratify  them  and  keep  them 
our  friends,  the  captain  always  rewarded  them  on  these 
occasions  with  knives,  beads,  and  such  trifles  to  their  full 
satisfaction.  On  approaching  Hochelaga,  above  one  thou 
sand  natives,  men,  women,  and  children,  came  to  meet  us, 
giving  us  as  friendly  and  hearty  a  welcome  as  if  we  had  been 
of  their  own  nation  come  home  after  a  long  and  perilous 
absence,  all  the  men  dancing  in  one  place,  and  the  women 
in  another,  and  the  children  in  a  third;  after  which  they 
brought  us  great  abundance  of  fish  and  of  their  bread  made 
of  maize,  both  of  which  they  threw  into  our  boats  in  pro 
fusion.  Observing  their  gentle  and  friendly  dispositions, 
our  captain  went  on  shore  well  accompanied,  on  which  the 
natives  came  clustering  about  us  in  the  most  affectionate 
manner,  bringing  their  young  children  in  their  arms,  eager 
to  have  them  touched  and  noticed  by  the  captain  and  the 
others,  and  showing  every  sign  of  mirth  and  gladness  at  our 
arrival.  This  scene  lasted  above  half  an  hour,  when  the 
captain  got  all  the  women  to  draw  up  in  regular  order,  to 
whom  he  distributed  many  beads  and  baubles  of  tin,  and 


406  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

gave  some  knives  among  the  men.  He  then  returned  to 
the  boats  to  supper  and  passed  the  night  on  board,  all  the 
people  remaining  on  the  shore  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
boats,  dancing  merrily  and  shouting  out  aguiaze,  which  in 
their  language  is  an  expression  of  joy  and  satisfaction. 

"  Very  early  next  morning,  the  3rd  of  October,  having 
dressed  himself  splendidly,  our  captain  went  on  shore  to  see 
the  town  in  which  these  people  dwelt,  taking  with  him  five 
of  the  principal  officers  and  twenty  men,  all  well  armed, 
leaving  the  remainder  of  the  people  to  take  care  of  the 
boats.  The  city  of  Hochelaga  is  six  miles  from  the  river 
side,  and  the  road  thither  is  as  well  beaten  and  frequented 
as  can  be,  leading  through  as  fine  a  country  as  can  be  seen, 
full  of  as  fine  oaks  as  any  in  France,  the  whole  ground 
below  being  strewed  over  with  fine  acorns.  When  we  had 
gone  four  or  five  miles  we  were  met  by  one  of  the  chief 
lords  of  the  city,  accompanied  by  a  great  many  natives,  who 
made  us  understand  by  signs  that  we  must  stop  at  a  place 
where  they  had  made  a  large  fire,  which  we  did  accordingly. 
When  we  had  rested  there  some  time,  the  chief  made  a 
long  discourse  in  token  of  welcome  and  friendship,  showing 
a  joyful  countenance  and  every  mark  of  good  will.  On 
this,  our  captain  presented  him  with  two  hatchets  and  two 
knives,  and  hung  a  cross  from  his  neck,  which  he  made 
him  kiss,  with  all  which  the  chief  seemed  much  pleased. 
After  this  we  resumed  our  march,  and  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  farther  we  found  fine  large  fields  covered  with  the  corn 
of  the  country,  resembling  the  millet  of  Brasil,  rather  larger 
than  small  pease.  In  the  midst  of  these  cultivated  fields 
the  city  of  Hochelaga  is  situated,  near  and  almost  joined  to 
a  great  mountain,  which  is  very  fertile  and  cultivated  all 
round,  to  which  we  gave  the  name  of  Mont  Royal." 

Though  Cartier  honored  St.  Lawrence  by  giving  his 
name  to  the  small  bay  on  the  mainland  north  of  the  island 
of  Anticosti,  which  he  reached  on  August  loth,  he  con 
tinued  to  call  the  river  Hochelaga.  "Canada"  was  at  first 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH          407 

applied  only  to  the  country  below  Quebec,  or  Stadacona, 
as  the  Indians  called  their  little  settlement  on  the  spot 
now  occupied  by  the  Lower  Town.  Hochelaga  was  more 
important;  it  was  the  largest  Indian  town  in  that  north 
ern  region.  Why  Donnacona,  the  Indian  chief,  was  un 
willing  that  Cartier  and  his  men  should  proceed  up  the 
river  we  are  left  unaided  to  conjecture.  Possibly  he  im 
agined  that  the  chief  motive  which  had  prompted  the  white 
men  to  visit  his  country  was  the  distribution  of  beads  and 
trinkets,  and  consequently  he  was  unwilling  that  the  people 
of  Hochelaga  should  share  in  these  gifts.  That  nothing 
more  malevolent  was  in  his  mind  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
he  had  recourse  to  the  offices  of  his  god,  Coudouagny, 
rather  than  to  the  arrows  of  his  braves. 

In  Hochelaga,  or  Mont  Royal,  as  it  soon  came  to  be 
called,  the  Frenchmen  found  the  best  examples  of  the  Iro- 
quois  towns  of  North  America.  The  settlement  was  con 
fined  within  a  circle  comprised  of  three  palisades  of  logs, 
through  which  there  was  but  one  entrance,  which  might  be 
closed  with  stakes  and  bars.  By  the  gate,  and  at  many 
other  points  on  this  rude  fortification,  platforms  were  built, 
which  were  reached  by  ladders ;  on  these  platforms  were 
stored  heaps  of  stones,  to  be  used  against  an  enemy  when 
endeavoring  to  storm  the  town.  There  is  no  means  of  ascer 
taining  the  population  of  this  Indian  settlement;  but  from  the 
fact  that  it  contained  fifty  long  wigwams,  each  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  and  fifty  in  breadth, 
it  may  be  judged  that  Hochelaga  possibly  contained  from 
two  thousand  to  twenty-five  hundred  Indians.  The  Long 
House  was  built  of  logs  and  covered  with  broad  strips  of 
bark  so  closely  fitted  as  to  be  impervious  to  the  weather. 
The  interior  was  partitioned  so  that  each  separate  family 
in  the  communal  house  might  have  its  own  chamber. 
Under  the  roofs  of  these  houses  was  stored  the  corn  which 
had  been  harvested  from  the  rudely  tilled  fields.  Such  was 
Montreal  as  it  appeared  to  the  eyes  of  Jacques  Cartier  and 
his  Frenchmen  in  the  autumn  of  1535. 


408  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Not  deeming  it  wise  to  winter  among  these  people,  with 
whom  the  explorers  had  had  no  previous  experience,  they 
returned  to  Stadacona.  They  passed  the  winter  there,  and 
at  its  close  so  greatly  had  cold  and  sickness  diminished 
Cartier's  men  that  in  the  spring  he  had  barely  sufficient 
with  whom  to  man  one  vessel.  But  the  gateway  to 
Canada  had  been  found,  and,  though  it  was  five  years  before 
another  expedition  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  Cartier  had 
secured  for  his  country  the  title  to  New  France. 

Though  France  was  very  far  from  gaining  such  profit 
from  her  North  American  acquisitions  as  fell  to  the  lot  of 
Spain  in  the  south,  she  none  the  less  endowed  her  new 
possessions  with  highly  titled  dignitaries.  In  1541,  Francis 
created  the  Sieur  de  Roberval  Viceroy  of  New  France,  Lord 
of  Norumbega,  Newfoundland,  Saguenay,  and  Hochelaga. 
He  was  to  proceed  to  his  new  possessions  and  there  estab 
lish  a  colony  which  it  was  designed  to  govern  with  all  the 
fantastic  appurtenances  of  the  feudalism  which  was  then 
current.  One  principal  motive  for  this  occupation  of  North 
America,  as  set  forth  in  the  commission  granted  to  Roberval, 
was  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  to  Christianity.  The 
possibility  of  success  in  this  undertaking  must  have  seemed 
to  reasonable  thinking  men  as  very  slight,  seeing  that  the 
viceroy  was  empowered,  and  indeed  was  obliged,  to  man  his 
fleet  with  criminals  and  malefactors  drawn  from  the  dungeons 
of  France.  At  this  time  Cartier  was  made  captain-general 
of  New  France,  and  there  being  some  delay  in  Roberval's 
preparations  Cartier  sailed  with  three  ships  in  May,  1541. 
He  expected  soon  to  be  joined  by  Roberval  with  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  and  the  provisions  for  the  settlement.  After  im 
patiently  waiting  for  six  weeks  on  the  coast  of  Newfound 
land,  and  finding  that  the  viceroy  did  not  come,  Cartier 
continued  his  journey  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  scene  of 
his  former  discoveries.  There  he  found  the  natives  less 
friendly  than  they  had  been  on  his  former  visit,  and  a 
winter  of  hardship  was  passed  and  little  done  in  the  way  of 
exploration.  Spring  came,  but  not  Roberval,  and,  contrary 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH          409 

to  his  wont,  Cartier  determined  to  abandon  his  project  and 
return  to  France.  In  St.  John's  Harbor,  Newfoundland, 
he  met  Roberval,  but  could  not  be  induced  by  the  latter  to 
turn  back.  The  stern  and  determined  viceroy,  however, 
proceeded  up  the  St.  Lawrence  and  endeavored  to  plant 
his  colony  at  Cap  Rouge.  All  the  machinery,  material 
and  official,  required  by  a  French  municipality  was  there; 
only  the  means  of  subsistence  were  lacking.  And  when 
in  1543,  the  king,  needing  Roberval  in  France,  sent  out 
Cartier  to  bring  him  back,  the  whole  enterprise  was  aban 
doned  with  entire  willingness  on  the  part  of  all  by  whom  it 
had  been  undertaken. 

The  failure  of  Roberval's  project  for  colonization  put  an 
end  to  French  exploration  at  the  time,  and  it  was  not  to  be 
resumed  for  many  years  to  come.  France  was  entering 
upon  that  period  of  civil  strife  which  was  the  outgrowth 
of  the  Huguenot  movement  and  the  determined  resistance 
offered  thereto  by  the  Catholic  party.  During  those  days 
neither  thought  nor  means  could  be  afforded  to  enterprises  on 
the  far-off  American  shores.  Only  the  Brittany  fishermen 
maintained  the  title  of  France  by  repairing  to  those  coasts 
in  increasing  numbers  every  year.  But  when  P'rance  saw 
quieter  days  under  the  rule  of  Henry  IV.,  New  France 
was  again  brought  to  men's  minds,  and  efforts  were  begun 
which  finally  resulted  in  its  permanent  settlement.  The 
names  which  are  prominent  at  the  beginning  of  the  history 
of  this  revived  interest  are  Pontgrave  and  Pierre  Chauvin. 
These  men,  becoming  impressed  with  the  conviction  that 
the  fur  trade  might  be  made  a  source  of  great  profit,  obtained 
a  monopoly  in  the  same,  and  carried  it  on  successfully  until 
Chauvin  died  in  1603. 

But  French  enterprise  in  Canada  was  not  allowed  to  lag 
because  of  the  dissolution  of  this  fur-trading  partnership. 
Henry  IV.,  being  firmly  seated  on  his  throne,  was  in  a 
mood  to  reward  the  men  who  had  helped  him  thither. 
Among  these  was  Aymar  de  Chastes,  who  had  put  Henry 
in  possession  of  Dieppe,  of  which  city  he  was  the  governor. 


4  j  o  DISCOVER  T  AND  EX  PL  ORA  TION 

On  Chauvin's  death,  De  Chastes  requested  from  the  king 
the  gift  of  the  fur-trading  monopoly.  It  was  readily  granted, 
and  the  king  doubtless  thought  De  Chastes  extremely 
moderate  in  his  demands.  But  among  all  whose  names  are 
connected  with  the  earliest  history  of  New  France  there  is 
none  which  stands  for  more  unselfish  motives  than  that  of 
the  Governor  of  Dieppe.  Patriot  and  devout  Catholic,  he 
desired  nothing  more  than  to  establish  the  Cross  and  the 
fleur-de-lis  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Pontgrave 
was  naturally  chosen  by  De  Chastes  to  command  the  new 
expedition. 

It  was  the  undertaking  promoted  by  these  men  that 
brought  Samuel  Champlain,  the  Father  of  New  France, 
upon  the  scene.  Champlain  was  born  in  the  year  1567,  at 
Brouage,  near  Rochelle.  Though  he  early  took  to  the  sea 
and  became  an  experienced  navigator,  for  several  years 
while  Henry  of  Navarre  was  contending  for  the  throne 
Champlain  served  in  his  army  as  deputy  quartermaster- 
general.  Peace  having  been  declared,  Champlain  made  a 
voyage  to  Mexico,  in  command  of  a  Spanish  vessel.  He 
spent  two  years  in  New  Spain,  and  on  his  return  wrote  a 
Narrative  of  a  Voyage  to  the  West  Indies  and  Mexico,  which 
so  pleased  Henry  IV.  that  it  gained  for  the  sailor-author 
a  pension.  Champlain,  returning  to  France  at  the  mo 
ment  when  Pontgrave  was  about  to  set  out  on  his  voyage 
to  the  west  to  establish  the  headquarters  of  his  monopoly 
at  Tadousac  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  was  easily  induced  to 
take  part  in  the  enterprise.  On  the  I5th  of  March,  1603, 
they  sailed  from  Honfleur  with  two  vessels.  Gaining  the 
St.  Lawrence,  they  sailed  up  past  Tadousac,  where  Roberval 
had  endeavored  to  establish  his  ill-fated  colony;  on  past 
Quebec  they  went,  until  they  saw  the  great  mountain  of 
Hochelaga,  now  Montreal.  But  there  not  even  the  de 
scendants  of  Cartier's  friendly  Iroquois  were  to  be  found. 
They  had  been  driven  thence  by  the  Algonquins.  Cham- 
plain  endeavored  to  push  his  way  further  up  the  river,  but 
was  for  the  time  unable  to  stem  the  force  of  the  rapids. 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH 


411 


After  a  short  time  the  explorers  returned  to  France,  with 
their  curiosity  whetted  and  with  the  determination  to  see 
more  of  New  France. 

During  this  first  voyage,  undertaken  by  Pontgrave  and 
Champlain,  its  projector,  M.  de  Chastes,  died.  His  office, 
that  of  Vice-admiral  of  the  coasts  of  Acadia,  was  given  to 
the  Sieur  de  Monts,  who  entered  enthusiastically  into  the 
project  of  founding  a  colony  in  Canada.  He  was  very  willing 
to  avail  himself  of  the  experience  and  courage  of  Cham- 
plain.  They  sailed  from  Havre  on  the  yth  of  March,  1604. 
De  Monts  was  an  adherent  of  the  Reformed  religion,  and 
was  accompanied  by  many  of  this  persuasion ;  but  the 
Catholics  were  also  represented  in  considerable  force,  and 
were  accompanied  by  their  priests.  It  was  designed  that 
in  the  new  colony  toleration  should  prevail  and  every  man 
be  permitted  freely  to  choose  and  follow  his  own  creed. 
Champlain  intimates  that  the  disagreement  incident  to  this 
arrangement  was  inimical  to  the  success  of  the  undertaking, 
though  it  may  be  surmised  from  the  following  statement 
that  the  controversies  which  ensued  contributed  not  a  little 
to  the  entertainment  of  the  expeditioners.  Says  Champlain  : 
u  I  have  seen  the  minister  and  our  cure  fight  with  their  fists 
about  differences  of  religion,  and  I  do  not  know  which  was 
the  braver  or  hit  the  harder  blows,  but  I  do  very  well 
know  that  the  minister  complains  sometimes  to  M.  de 
Monts  of  having  been  soundly  beaten;  and  in  this  way  they 
cleared  up  the  points  of  controversy.  I  leave  you  to  think 
if  it  was  very  pleasant  to  behold.  The  savages  were  some 
times  on  one  side,  sometimes  on  the  other;  and  the  French, 
divided  according  to  their  different  beliefs,  said  everything 
that  was  bad,  both  of  one  and  the  other  religion." 

The  expedition  lasted  more  than  three  years,  all  of  which 
time  Champlain  busied  himself  in  the  work  of  exploration, 
with  the  result  that  he  became  fully  acquainted  with  the 
whole  coast  of  Nova  Scotia.  He  explored  the  Bay  of 
Fundy  and  coasted  southward  until  he  came  to  what  he 
called  Cape  Fortune,  now  known  as  Cape  Cod.  On  the 


412  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

way  thither  he  entered  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  was  also 
driven  for  shelter  into  what  he  calls  Port  St.  Louis;  known 
to-day  as  Plymouth  Harbor.  In  1607  he  returned  to  France 
with  De  Monts;  and  the  latter,  patriot  that  he  was,  and 
ardently  desirous  that  his  country  should  gain  the  chief  fruits 
of  his  toils  and  dangers,  found  that  through  the  intrigues  of 
the  Bretons  his  commission  had  been  revoked  and  the  only 
compensation  for  his  great  expenditure  was  to  be  six  thou 
sand  livres  which  he  was  to  collect — if  he  could — from  the 
traders.  Of  those  by  whom  this  change  was  brought  about 
the  honest  Champlain  exclaims :  u  May  God  pardon  those 
whom  he  has  called  to  himself,  and  amend  the  living!  Who 
would  ever  undertake  anything,  if  all  can  be  revoked  in 
such  a  fashion,  without  carefully  examining  affairs  before 
deciding! " 

But,  undismayed  by  this  experience  of  the  bad  faith  of 
the  government,  De  Monts  determined  to  make  another 
attempt.  He  chose  Champlain  as  his  deputy,  and  in  July, 
1608,  that  indefatigable  explorer  again  found  himself  at 
Quebec,  as  the  Algonquins  called  the  settlement — which 
name  was  retained  by  the  French.  He  remained  there 
during  the  winter;  and  in  May  of  the  following  year  pro 
ceeded  to  explore  the  river  above  the  settlement.  At  this 
time  he  began  to  put  into  operation  a  method  by  which  he 
secured  the  assistance  of  the  natives,  both  in  making  his 
way  through  their  country  and  in  forestalling  danger  from 
their  own  hostility.  In  later  times,  it  became  the  policy  of 
the  French  to  take  an  active  part  in  Indian  politics;  thus 
they  found  allies  among  the  savage  tribes,  but  also  drew 
to  themselves  the  inveterate  enmity  of  those  against  whom 
they  lent  their  support.  It  was  Champlain  who  inaugurated 
this  questionable  course.  For  his  own  immediate  purposes 
it  was  advantageous,  and  he  could  not  be  expected  to  fore 
see  its  unfortunate  consequences.  While  near  the  point 
where  the  Ste.  Marie  empties  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  there 
met  him  a  band  of  Indians  who  were  on  their  way  to  beg 
him  to  fulfil  the  promise  he  had  already  made  to  aid  them 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NORTH          413 

against  the  Iroquois.  With  them  he  proceeded  up  the 
Riviere  des  Iroquois,  now  known  as  the  Richelieu,  and 
after  a  tedious  and  discouraging  journey  arrived  at  the  lake 
which  has  ever  since  been  known  by  his  own  name,  where 
Champlain  and  his  allies  fought  a  battle  with  the  Iroquois, 
and  won  it  by  virtue  of  the  astonishing  appearance  of  the 
three  Frenchmen  and  the  deadly  effect  of  their  arquebuses. 

De  Monts  failed  to  secure  the  renewal  of  his  commission, 
which  had  only  been  for  one  year.  But  so  eager  was  he  to 
extend  his  explorations  in  the  country  around  the  upper  St. 
Lawrence  that  he  formed  a  company  in  which  he  hazarded 
what  was  left  of  his  private  fortune.  He  had  found  a 
powerful  friend,  however,  in  Madame  de  Guercheville, 
whose  zealous  admiration  of  the  Jesuits  induced  her  to  em 
ploy  all  her  great  influence  in  furthering  their  desire  to 
missionize  New  France.  As  the  result  of  this  combination, 
the  stirring  history  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  Canada  had 
its  inception,  and  in  the  spring  of  1611  Champlain  explored 
the  country  between  Quebec  and  Mont  Royal. 

In  March,  1612,  Champlain  left  Quebec  with  two  canoes 
and  his  mind  excited  with  hopes  of  reaching  what  was 
spoken  of  by  him  as  the  great  northern  sea.  This  idea  had 
its  source  in  the  story  of  a  young  Frenchman  named  Vignau, 
who  had  spent  a  winter  with  the  Indians  on  the  Ottawa. 
On  returning  to  Paris  he  averred  that  at  the  headwaters  of 
the  Ottawa  he  had  found  a  great  lake  that  emptied  into 
a  river  which  he  had  followed  until  he  came  to  the  sea. 
Believing  this  tale,  Champlain  made  no  doubt  but  that  he 
was  on  the  point  of  reaching  the  long-looked-for  passage 
through  America  to  the  East.  But,  faced  by  Tessouat,  the 
chief  with  whom  he  had  resided,  Vignau  was  forced  to 
confess  that  the  estimate  which  Champlain  made  of  him  in 
the  latter's  account  of  the  episode  was  correct,  viz.:  that  he 
"  was  the  most  impudent  liar  that  had  been  seen  for  a  long 
time."  But  the  result  of  this  hoax,  which  would  have 
ended  in  its  going  hard  with  the  young  Frenchman  had 
he  been  dealing  with  a  man  of  less  noble  disposition,  was 


414  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  exploration  of  Ottawa  River  by  Champlain  as  far  up  as 
Allumette  Island.  In  1615,  holding  under  the  Prince  of 
Conde  the  office  of  lieutenant-governor,  Champlain  con 
tinued  his  travels  through  the  wilderness  which  comprised 
the  immensely  larger  part  of  his  great  domain.  He  reached 
Lake  Nipissing,  and  from  thence  descended  by  river  to  Lake 
Huron.  After  his  return  from  this  trip,  his  time  was  occu 
pied  chiefly  in  looking  after  the  interests  of  the  colony, 
to  which  he  sedulously  devoted  himself  both  at  Quebec  and 
also  at  Paris.  But  his  ardor  for  exploration  was  unabated, 
and  when  he  could  not  go  forth  in  person  he  sent  brave  and 
enterprising  men,  of  like  spirit  with  himself,  who  pushed 
up  the  rivers  and  penetrated  the  forests  until  New  France 
was  known  as  an  open  book  to  those  who  wished  to 
settle  therein.  Champlain  found  a  worthy  successor  in  his 
labors  of  exploration  in  Jean  Nicolet,  who  for  sixteen 
years  had  voluntarily  exiled  himself  from  civilization  and, 
that  he  might  know  their  country,  allied  himself  with  various 
Indian  tribes  of  North  America.  Champlain's  mind  could 
not  rest  until  he  had  settled  the  problem  raised  by  the  re 
ports  of  great  waters  to  the  westward.  These  he  imagined 
might  be  the  Pacific;  but  in  reality  they  were  the  Great 
Lakes.  In  1634,  he  despatched  Nicolet  on  an  expedition 
to  the  westward,  with  instructions  to  prove  wrhat  were  the 
facts  in  regard  to  these  surmises  ;  he  was  not,  however, 
permitted  to  learn  the  results  of  this  voyageur's  journeyings, 
for  death  overtook  him  in  1635.  Nicolet  made  his  way 
up  Ottawa  River  to  Lake  Nipissing.  From  there  he  crossed 
to  Georgian  Bay  and  explored  Lake  Michigan  as  far  as  Green 
Bay,  which  he  reached  in  1639.  He  also  went  southward 
until  he  heard  the  Indians  speak  of  a  great  river,  which 
must  have  been  the  Mississippi.  But  this  it  was  reserved 
for  the  missionary  zeal  of  the  Jesuits  to  reach. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

BY  the  time  of  Champlain's  death,  the  English  colonies 
in  America  had  at  least  gained  a  firm  foothold,  and  the 
Dutch  were  established  at  New  Amsterdam.  But  these  set 
tlements  were  not  being  made  the  headquarters  and  starting 
points  for  far-reaching  journeys  of  exploration.  There  was 
but  little  penetration  into  the  country  other  than  the  steady 
advance  of  the  line  of  European  settlement.  How  unlike 
this  was  the  mode  of  procedure  of  the  colonies  north  and 
south !  As  soon  as  the  Spaniards  touched  their  newly  dis 
covered  country,  they  overran  it.  The  French  could  never 
content  themselves  until  they  had  satisfied  their  curiosity  in 
regard  to  the  whole  of  their  Canadian  domain.  Perhaps 
this  difference  may  be  partly  attributed  to  racial  tempera 
ment.  But  it  was  also  very  largely  owing  to  the  nature  of 
the  regions  that  were  settled.  The  English  were  farmers; 
and  they  at  once  set  about  making  the  only  use  of  the  land 
that  its  possibilities  warranted  and  which  accorded  with  the 
dictates  of  their  tastes.  The  Spaniards  were  seekers  after 
gold;  and  the  search  quickly  carried  them  far  afield.  Three 
motives  were  prominent  in  the  spirit  which  governed  the 
French  occupation  of  Canada:  a  greed  for  peltries,  a  desire 
for  geographical  investigation,  and  a  purpose  to  Christianize 
the  Indians.  These  three  motives  combined  to  stimulate 
extensive  exploration,  and  resulted  in  greatly  extending 
the  knowledge  of  the  characteristics  and  possibilities  of  the 
French  possessions  during  the  quarter  of  a  century  following 
Champlain's  death. 

415 


4i 6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

In  1664,  Jean  Baptiste  Talon  was  sent  to  Canada  as 
Intendant.  He  cherished  the  idea  that  New  France  should 
be  made  as  large  and  all-embracing  a  territorial  acquisition 
as  possible;  and  Louis  XIV.  fully  sympathized  with  this 
view  and  supported  it,  as  also  did  Courcelle,  the  Governor 
of  Canada.  Consequently,  Talon's  purpose  was  to  thrust 
forward  his  outposts  as  far  and  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
thus  gain  title  to  the  country.  As  we  have  seen,  the  map 
of  New  France  included,  after  the  journeyings  of  Nicolet, 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  Green  Bay.  The  former  of  these 
places,  owing  to  the  tribal  feuds  of  the  Indians,  had  become 
a  great  centre  for  the  Algonquins,  Hurons,  and  Ottawas, 
who  were  forced  westward  by  the  powerful  Iroquois.  The 
Jesuits,  therefore,  made  this  a  mission  station,  and  owing 
to  their  zeal  it  also  became  the  headquarters  and  starting 
point  for  further  expeditions.  In  1669,  Fathers  Dablon 
and  Marquette  came  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  they  were 
followed  during  the  next  year  by  Saint-Lusson  and  Joliet, 
who  had  been  despatched  thither  by  Intendant  Talon  to 
search  for  the  copper  in  which  it  was  reported  the  neigh 
boring  region  abounded.  In  the  presence  of  a  great  con 
course  of  Indians,  Saint-Lusson,  in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV., 
took  possession  of  "Saint  Marie  du  Saut,  as  also  of  Lakes 
Huron  and  Superior,  the  island  of  Manitoulin,  and  all  coun 
tries,  rivers,  lakes,  and  streams  contingent  and  adjacent 
thereto."  So  that  now  it  was  simply  a  question  as  to  whether 
Spain  owned  the  whole  continent  by  gift  of  the  Pope,  or 
France  by  her  own  decision. 

Colbert,  the  Minister  of  Louis  XIV.,  wrote  to  Talon  in 
1672  :  "As  after  the  increase  of  the  colony  there  is  noth 
ing  more  important  to  the  colony  than  the  discovery  of  a 
passage  to  the  South  Sea  [the  Pacific] ,  His  Majesty  wishes 
you  to  give  it  your  attention."  This  order  Talon,  who 
was  leaving  Canada,  committed  to  the  energetic  and  indomi 
table  Frontenac,  who  had  just  come  out  as  governor.  The 
latter  accepted  Talon's  choice  of  Joliet  for  the  undertaking, 
which  meant  primarily  the  finding  and  exploring  of  the 


ILt    redyt    iota  vic?0r  ae     Oceanv 


Sir  Francis  Drake.  From  the  copperplate  in  Holland's  HenMogia 
Anglic  a.  After  the  original  in  the  New  York  Public  Library,  Lenox 
Branch. 


?n.  LIBRA^J 

OF  THE.        '         r 

~RS\TY  j 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


417 


Mississippi,  which  river  had  long  been  heard  of,  but  was 
thought  to  flow  into  the  Pacific.  Joliet  was  eminently 
fitted  for  this  work;  having  been  born  in  New  France,  he 
was  inured  to  all  its  hardships  and.  accustomed  to  deal  with 
the  Indians.  The  missionaries  also  took  the  opportunity  to 
send  the  Cross  into  those  unexplored  western  wilds,  and  Mar- 
quette  was  commissioned  to  this  work.  These  two,  though 
their  errands  were  different,  were  alike  in  spirit,  and  fitted  to 
emulate  each  other  in  courage,  endurance,  and  perseverance. 

In  company  with  five  other  Frenchmen,  the  priest  and 
M.  Joliet  embarked  in  two  canoes  on  May  13,  1673,  taking 
provision  of  Indian  corn  and  smoked  beef  for  their  voyage. 
With  such  information  as  they  could  obtain  from  the  In 
dians  respecting  the  countries  they  sought  to  visit,  they  drew 
up  a  map  to  guide  them  in  their  journey. 

The  first  people  they  encountered  were  the  Folles 
Avoines,  or  Wild  Oats  Indians,  better  known  as  Menomi- 
nees,  whom  Father  Marquette  had  previously  preached 
among.  These  did  their  utmost  to  dissuade  the  explorers 
from  their  purpose,  warning  them  of  the  hostile  tribes  they 
would  encounter,  the  dangers  of  the  Great  River  and  its  mon 
strous  creatures  that  "  devoured  men  and  canoes  together," 
and  the  great  heat  they  would  endure.  The  travellers  pro 
ceeded  to  the  Bay  of  Puan  [Green  Bay] ,  whence  they 
reached  a  river  [Fox  River]  "that  discharges  itself  therein." 
Pere  Marquette,  in  his  account  of  this  voyage,  says :  "The 
French  have  never  before  passed  beyond  the  Bay  of  Puan. 
This  Bourg  consists  of  three  several  nations,  viz. :  Miamis, 
Mascoutens,  and  Kickapoos.  ...  As  soon  as  we  had 
arrived  we  assembled  the  chiefs  together,  and  informed  them 
that  we  had  been  sent  by  the  governor  to  discover  new  coun 
tries,  and  teach  them  the  knowledge  of  the  Creator,  .  .  . 
adding  that  we  wished  them  to  furnish  us  with  two  guides." 
Conducted  by  their  guides  they  transported  their  canoes 
a  short  distance  to  Mesconsin  [Wisconsin]  River,  along 
which  they  rowed  for  forty  leagues  and  reached  the  Missis 
sippi  on  June  iyth  [1673]. 


4i 8  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

The  journey  down  the  Great  River  was  slowly  made  to 
42°  N.  latitude,  where  the  aspect  of  the  country  greatly 
changed.  u  There  were  scarcely  any  more  woods  or  moun 
tains.  The  islands  are  covered  with  fine  trees,  but  we  could 
not  see  any  more  roebucks,  buffaloes,  bustards,  and  swans," 
writes  Pere  Marquette.  Continuing  their  navigation  by  day, 
landing  each  night,  on  June  25th  they  "found  traces  of 
some  men  upon  the  sand,  and  a  path  which  led  into  a  large 
prairie."  Following  up  this  path,  Joliet  and  Father  Mar 
quette  arrived  at  an  Indian  village  lying  on  the  banks  of  a 
river  at  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles  from  where  they  had 
left  their  men  and  the  canoes,  and  a  second  village  two 
miles  further  on.  The  reception  of  the  travellers  by  the 
Indians  of  these  villages  is  of  interest  in  itself  and  also  as 
evidence  of  the  disposition  of  the  natives  toward  peaceful 
visitors.  We  therefore  quote  Pere  Marquette's  account  of 
the  circumstance: 

"We  now  commended  ourselves  to  God,  and  having 
implored  His  help,  we  came  so  near  to  the  Indians  that  we 
could  hear  them  talk.  We  now  thought  it  time  to  make 
ourselves  known  to  them  by  screaming  aloud.  At  the  sound 
of  our  voices,  the  Indians  left  their  huts,  and  probably  taking 
us  for  Frenchmen,  one  of  us  having  a  black  robe  on,  and 
seeing  but  two  of  us,  and  being  warned  of  our  arrival,  they 
sent  four  old  men  to  speak  to  us,  two  of  whom  brought 
pipes,  ornamented  with  different  feathers.  They  marched 
slowly,  without  saying  a  word,  but  presenting  their  pipes  to 
the  sun,  as  if  they  wished  it  to  smoke  them. 

"  They  were  a  long  time  coming  from  their  village,  but  as 
soon  as  they  came  near,  they  halted  to  take  a  view  of  us, 
and  seeing  the  ceremonies  they  performed,  and  especially 
seeing  them  covered  with  cloth,  we  judged  that  they  were 
our  allies.  I  then  spoke  to  them,  and  they  said  they 
were  Illinois,  and  as  a  sign  of  friendship  they  presented  us 
their  pipes  to  smoke.  They  invited  us  to  their  village, 
where  all  the  people  had  impatiently  waited  for  us.  ... 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


419 


At  the  door  of  the  cabin  in  which  we  were  to  be  received, 
we  found  an  old  man  in  a  very  remarkable  posture,  which 
is  the  usual  ceremony  in  receiving  strangers.  He  was 
standing  up,  all  naked,  with  his  hands  lifted  up  to  heaven, 
as  if  he  wished  to  screen  himself  from  the  rays  of  the  sun 
which  nevertheless  passed  through  his  ringers  to  his  face. 
When  we  came  near  to  him  he  said:  'What  a  fair  day, 
Frenchmen,  this  is  to  come  to  visit  us  !  All  our  people  have 
waited  for  thee,  and  thou  shalt  enter  our  cabin  in  peace.' 
He  then  took  us  into  his,  where  there  were  a  crowd  of  people 
who  devoured  us  with  their  eyes,  but  who  kept  a  profound 
silence.  We  only  occasionally  heard  these  words  in  a  low 
voice :  'These  are  our  brothers  who  have  come  to  see  us.' 

"  As  soon  as  we  sat  down,  they  presented  us,  according 
to  custom,  their  calumet,  which  one  must  accept,  or  he 
would  be  looked  upon  as  an  enemy,  and  it  is  sufficient  to 
place  it  only  to  your  mouth  and  pretend  to  smoke.  While 
the  old  men  smoked  in  our  cabin  to  entertain  us,  the  great 
chief  of  the  Illinois  sent  us  word  to  come  to  his  village, 
where  he  wished  to  hold  a  council  with  us.  We  accord 
ingly  went  to  him,  and  were  followed  by  all  the  people  of 
this  village,  for  they  had  never  seen  any  Frenchmen  before. 
They  never  appeared  tired  of  gazing  at  us.  They  went 
backwards  and  forwards  to  look  at  us,  without  making  any 
noise,  and  this  they  esteem  as  a  mark  of  respect.  Having 
arrived  at  the  borough  of  the  chief,  we  espied  him  at  the 
door  of  his  cabin,  between  two  old  men,  who  were  likewise 
naked,  and  standing,  holding  the  calumet  towards  the  sun. 
He  made  us  a  short  speech,  to  congratulate  us  on  our 
arrival  in  this  country,  and  presented  us  with  his  calumet, 
which  we  had  to  smoke  before  we  could  enter  into  his 
cabin.  This  ceremony  being  over,  he  conducted  us  and 
desired  us  to  sit  down  upon  a  mat,  and  the  old  men  of  the 
nation  being  present,  I  thought  fit  to  acquaint  them  with 
the  subject  of  our  voyage. 

"  After  we  sat  down,  the  chief  placed  a  slave  near  us,  and 
made  us  a  present  of  the  mysterious  calumet,  which  he 


42O 


DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 


thought  more  valuable  to  us  than  the  slave.  He  showed  to 
us  by  this  present  his  respect  for  our  great  captain,  and  he 
begged  us  to  remain  among  them,  because  of  the  dangers 
to  which  we  were  exposed  in  our  voyage.  I  told  him  that 
we  did  not  fear  death,  and  that  I  would  esteem  it  a  happi 
ness  to  lose  my  life  in  the  service  of  God,  at  which  he 
seemed  to  be  much  surprised.  The  council  being  over,  we 
were  invited  to  a  feast,  which  consisted  of  four  dishes. 
The  first  was  a  dish  of  sagamite,  that  is,  some  Indian  meal 
boiled  in  water,  and  seasoned  with  grease;  the  master  of 
ceremonies  holding  a  spoonful  of  it,  which  he  put  thrice 
into  my  mouth,  and  then  did  the  like  to  M.  Joliet.  The 
second  dish  consisted  of  three  fish,  whereof  he  took  a  piece, 
and  having  taken  out  the  bones,  and  blown  upon  it  to  cool 
it,  he  put  it  into  my  mouth.  The  third  dish  was  a  large 
dog,  which  they  had  killed  on  purpose,  but  understanding 
that  we  did  not  eat  this  animal  they  sent  it  away.  The 
fourth  was  a  piece  of  buffalo  meat,  of  which  they  put  the 
fattest  pieces  into  our  mouths. 

"As  soon  as  we  had  feasted,  we  were  taken  to  a  village 
of  three  hundred  cabins,  attended  by  an  officer,  who  kept 
the  people  from  crowding  upon  us.  They  presented  us 
with  belts,  garters,  and  other  articles  made  of  the  hair  of 
bears  and  buffaloes.  We  slept  in  the  chief's  hut,  and,  on 
the  following  morning,  we  took  leave  of  him,  promising  to 
return  to  his  village  in  four  moons.  He  escorted  us  to  our 
canoes  with  nearly  six  hundred  persons,  who  saw  us  em 
barked,  evincing  in  every  way  the  pleasure  our  visit  gave 
them.  It  will  not  be  improper  for  me  to  relate  here  what 
I  observed  of  the  customs  and  manners  of  this  people, 
which  are  very  different  from  any  I  have  ever  before 
visited.  The  word  Illinois  in  their  language  signifies  men; 
as  if  they  looked  upon  all  other  Indians  as  beasts.  And 
truly  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  are  more  humane  than 
any  others  I  have  ever  seen.  The  short  time  I  remained 
with  them  did  not  permit  me  to  inform  myself  of  their 
customs  and  manners  as  much  as  I  desired.  They  are 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  'THE  INTERIOR        421 

divided  into  several  villages,  some  of  which  I  have  not  seen. 
They  live  so  remote  from  other  nations,  that  their  language 
is  entirely  different.  They  called  themselves  "  Perouarca." 
Their  language  is  a  dialect  of  the  Algonquin.  They  are 
very  mild  in  their  dispositions.  They  keep  several  wives, 
of  whom  they  are  very  jealous,  and  watch  them  closely. 
If  they  behave  unchastely,  they  cut  off  their  ears  or  nose, 
of  which  I  saw  several  who  carried  those  marks  of  their 
infidelity.  The  Illinois  are  well  formed  and  very  nimble. 
They  are  skilful  with  their  bows  and  rifles,  with  which 
they  are  supplied  by  the  Indians  who  trade  with  our  French 
men.  This  makes  them  formidable  to  their  enemies  who 
have  no  firearms.  .  .  . " 

Leaving  the  Illinois  villages,  the  party  resumed  the  descent 
of  the  river,  "  looking  for  another  called  Pekitanoui"  [Mis 
souri]  .  Pere  Marquette  continues : 

"As  we  were  descending  the  river  we  saw  high  rocks 
with  hideous  monsters  painted  on  them,  and  upon  which 
the  bravest  Indians  dare  not  look.  They  are  as  large  as  a 
calf,  with  head  and  horns  like  a  goat;  their  eyes  red;  beard 
like  a  tiger's ;  and  a  face  like  a  man's.  Their  tails  are  so 
long  that  they  pass  over  their  heads  and  between  their  fore 
legs,  under  their  belly,  and  end  like  a  fish's  tail.  They 
are  painted  red,  green,  and  black.  They  are  so  well  drawn 
that  I  cannot  believe  they  were  drawn  by  the  Indians.  And 
for  what  purpose  they  were  made  seems  to  me  a  great  mys 
tery.  As  we  fell  down  the  river,  and  while  we  were  dis 
coursing  upon  these  monsters,  we  heard  a  great  rushing  and 
bubbling  of  waters,  and  small  islands  of  floating  trees  coming 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Pekitanoui  with  such  rapidity  that  we 
could  not  trust  ourselves  to  go  near  it.  The  water  of  this 
river  is  so  muddy  that  we  could  not  drink  it.  It  so  discolors 
the  Mississippi  as  to  make  the  navigation  of  it  dangerous. 
This  river  comes  from  the  northwest,  and  empties  into  the 
Mississippi,  and  on  its  banks  are  situated  a  number  of  Indian 
villages.  We  judged  by  the  compass  that  the  Missis 
sippi  discharged  itself  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  would, 


422  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

however,  have  been  more  agreeable  if  it  had  discharged  itself 
into  the  South  Sea  or  Gulf  of  California. 

"After  having  gone  about  twenty  leagues  to  the  south, 
and  a  little  less  to  the  southeast,  we  met  another  river  called 
Ouabouskiaou  [the  Ohio] ,  which  runs  into  the  Mississippi 
in  the  latitude  of  36°  N.  But  before  we  arrived  there,  we 
passed  through  a  most  formidable  passage  to  the  Indians, 
who  believe  that  a  manitou,  or  demon,  resides  there,  to 
devour  travellers,  and  which  the  Indians  told  us  of  to  make 
us  abandon  our  voyage.  This  demon  is  only  a  bluff  of 
rocks,  twenty  feet  high,  against  which  the  river  runs  with 
great  violence,  and  being  thrown  back  by  the  rocks  and 
island  near  it,  the  water  makes  a  great  noise  and  flows  with 
great  rapidity  through  a  narrow  channel,  which  is  certainly 
dangerous  to  canoes.  The  Ouabouskiaou  comes  from  the 
east.  The  Chouanous  [the  Shawnees]  live  on  its  banks, 
and  are  so  numerous  that  I  have  been  informed  there  are 
thirty-eight  villages  of  that  nation  situated  on  this  river; 
they  are  a  very  harmless  people.  The  Iroquois  are  con 
stantly  making  war  upon  them,  without  any  provocation, 
because  they  have  no  firearms,  and  carrying  them  into 
captivity.  At  a  little  distance  above  the  mouth  of  this 
river  our  men  discovered  some  banks  of  iron  ore,  of  which 
they  brought  several  specimens  into  our  canoe.  There  is 
also  here  a  kind  of  fat  earth,  of  three  different  colors,  purple, 
red,  and  yellow,  which  turns  the  water  of  the  river  into  a 
deep  blood  color.  We  also  discovered  a  red  sand  which  is 
very  heavy.  I  put  some  of  it  upon  my  oar,  which  dyed  it 
red.  We  had  seen  no  reeds,  or  canes,  but  they  now  began 
to  make  their  appearance,  and  grew  so  thick  that  cattle  could 
not  make  their  way  through  them.  They  are  of  an  agree 
able  green  color,  and  grow  very  high.  Their  tops  are 
crowned  with  long  and  sharp  leaves." 

Hitherto  the  explorers  had  not  been  troubled  with  mos 
quitoes,  but  these  now  began  to  cause  much  annoyance. 
The  natives  in  consequence  built  their  huts  upon  poles  set 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        423 

close  together,  on  which  is  "a  large  hurdle  upon  which  they 
lie,  instead  of  a  floor,  and  under  which  they  make  a  fire," 
to  drive  away  the  mosquitoes.  The  travellers  were  com 
pelled  to  use  their  sails  for  awnings,  and,  gliding  on  thus 
with  the  current,  they  encountered  Indians  on  the  banks, 
armed  with  guns,  awaiting  the  party's  landing.  After  some 
mutual  misunderstandings,  the  Indians  made  friendly  invita 
tions  to  the  travellers  to  land,  which  they  did,  and  proceeded 
to  the  village,  where  the  Frenchmen  were  hospitably  enter 
tained.  They  found  that  in  addition  to  guns  the  natives 
possessed  knives,  axes,  shovels,  glass  beads,  and  bottles  in 
which  they  kept  their  powder;  and  learned  that  these  were 
bought  from  the  Europeans  who  lived  toward  the  east,  and 
who  had  "images  and  chaplets,  and  played  upon  musical 
instruments."  The  Indians  informed  the  travellers  that 
the  sea  was  distant  only  ten  days'  journey. 

The  journey  was  resumed;  the  river  banks  were  lined 
with  high  trees,  so  that  the  country  could  not  be  observed 
as  had  hitherto  been  possible;  after  a  time  the  bellowing  of 
buffaloes  announced  that  prairies  were  near;  a  little  later 
the  party  had  reached  the  .village  of  Mitchigamea  [probably 
Helena,  Arkansas],  whose  people  were  evidently  hostile. 
Marquette  says : 

"The  Indians  made  a  great  noise,  and  appeared  in  arms, 
dividing  themselves  into  three  parties,  one  of  which  stood 
on  the  shore,  while  the  others  went  into  their  canoes  to 
intercept  our  retreat,  and  prevent  our  escape.  They  were 
armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  clubs,  axes,  and  bucklers,  and 
commenced  attacking  us.  Notwithstanding  these  prepara 
tions,  we  invoked  our  patroness,  the  Holy  Virgin,  and  rowed 
directly  for  the  shore.  As  we  came  near,  two  young  men 
threw  themselves  into  the  water  to  board  my  canoe,  which 
they  would  have  done  had  not  the  rapidity  of  the  current 
prevented  them ;  so  they  returned  to  the  shore  and  threw 
their  clubs  at  us,  which  passed  over  our  heads.  It  was  in 
vain  I  showed  them  the  calumet,  and  made  sign  to  them 


424 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


that  we  had  not  come  to  fight;  they  continued  to  surround 
us,  and  were  about  to  pierce  us  on  all  sides  with  their 
arrows,  when  God  suddenly  touched  their  hearts,  and  the 
old  men  who  stood  upon  the  bank  stopped  the  ardor  of 
their  young  men,  and  made  signs  of  peace,  and  came  down 
to  the  shore,  and  throwing  their  bows  and  arrows  into  our 
canoes,  made  signs  for  us  to  come  ashore,  which  we  did, 
not,  however,  without  some  suspicions  on  our  part. 

"  I  spoke  to  them  in  six  different  languages,  but  they  did 
not  understand  any  one  of  them.  At  last  they  brought  to 
us  an  old  man  who  spoke  the  Illinois,  whom  we  told  that 
we  wished  to  go  as  far  as  the  sea,  and  then  made  them 
some  presents.  They  understood  what  I  meant,  but  I  am 
not  sure  they  understood  what  I  said  to  them  of  God,  and 
things  concerning  their  salvation.  It  was,  however,  seed 
thrown  on  ground  which  would  in  time  become  fruitful. 
They  told  us  that  at  the  next  great  village,  called  Arkansea, 
eight  or  ten  leagues  farther  down  the  river,  we  could  learn 
all  about  the  sea.  They  feasted  us  with  sagamite  and  fish, 
and  we  passed  the  night  with  them,  not,  however,  without 
some  uneasiness.  We  embarked  early  next  morning  with 
our  interpreters  and  ten  Indians,  who  went  before  us  in  a 
canoe.  Having  arrived  about  half  a  league  from  Arkansea, 
we  saw  two  canoes  coming  towards  us.  The  captain  of 
one  was  standing  up,  holding  the  calumet  in  his  hand,  with 
which  he  made  signs,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country.  He  afterwards  joined  us,  inviting  us  to  smoke, 
and  singing  pleasantly.  He  then  gave  us  some  sagamite  and 
Indian  bread  to  eat,  and  going  before,  made  signs  for  us  to 
follow  him,  which  we  did,  but  at  some  distance.  They 
had  in  the  meantime  prepared  a  kind  of  scaffold  to  receive 
us,  adorned  with  fine  mats,  upon  which  we  sat  down  with 
the  old  men  and  warriors.  We  fortunately  found  among 
them  a  young  man  who  spoke  Illinois  much  better  than  the 
interpreter  whom  we  brought  with  us  from  Mitchigamea. 
We  made  them  some  small  presents,  which  they  received 
with  great  civility,  and  seemed  to  admire  what  I  told  them 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


425 


about  God,  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  the  mysteries  of 
our  holy  faith,  telling  us,  by  the  interpreter,  that  they  wished 
us  to  remain  with  them  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them. 

"We  then  asked  them  what  they  knew  of  the  sea,  and 
they  said  we  were  within  ten  days'  journey  of  it,  but  we 
might  perform  it  in  five.  That  they  were  unacquainted 
with  the  nations  below,  because  their  enemies  had  prevented 
them  from  visiting  them.  That  the  hatchet,  knives,  and 
beads  had  been  sold  to  them  by  the  nations  of  the  East, 
and  were  in  part  brought  by  the  Illinois,  who  live  four  days' 
journey  to  the  West.  That  the  Indians  whom  we  had 
met  with  guns  were  their  enemies,  who  hindered  them 
from  trading  with  the  Europeans,  and  if  we  persisted  in 
going  any  farther,  we  would  expose  ourselves  to  other 
nations  who  were  their  enemies.  During  this  conversation 
they  continued  all  day  to  feast  us  with  sagamite,  dog  meat, 
and  roasted  corn  out  of  large  wooden  dishes.  These  In 
dians  are  very  courteous,  and  give  freely  of  what  they  have, 
but  their  provisions  are  but  indifferent,  because  they  are 
afraid  to  go  a-hunting  on  account  of  their  enemies.  .  .  . 

u  In  the  evening  the  chiefs  held  a  secret  council,  wherein 
some  proposed  to  kill  us;  but  the  great  chief  opposed  this 
base  design,  and  sent  for  us  to  dance  the  calumet,  which 
he  presented  us  with  to  seal  our  common  friendship. 
M.  Joliet  and  I  held  a  council  to  deliberate  upon  what  we 
should  do — whether  to  proceed  further,  or  return  to  Canada, 
content  with  the  discoveries  we  had  made. 

"  Having  satisfied  ourselves  that  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  was 
in  latitude  31°  40',  and  that  we  could  reach  it  in  three  or 
four  days'  journey  from  the  Arkansea  [Arkansas  River] ,  and 
that  the  Mississippi  discharged  itself  into  it,  and  not  to  the 
eastward  of  the  Cape  of  Florida,  nor  into  the  California 
Sea,  we  resolved  to  return  home.  We  considered  that  the 
advantage  of  our  travels  would  be  altogether  lost  to  our 
nation  if  we  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  from  whom 
we  could  expect  no  other  treatment  than  death  or  slavery; 
besides,  we  saw  that  we  were  not  prepared  to  resist  the 


426  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 

Indians,  the  allies  of  the  Europeans,  who  continually  infested 
the  lower  part  of  this  river;  we  therefore  came  to  the  con 
clusion  to  return,  and  make  a  report  to  those  who  had  sent 
us.  So  that,  having  rested  another  day,  we  left  the  village 
of  the  Arkansea,  on  the  seventeenth  of  July,  1673,  having 
followed  the  Mississippi  from  the  latitude  of  42°  to  34°, 
and  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  utmost  of  my  power  to  the 
nations  we  visited.  We  then  ascended  the  Mississippi  with 
great  difficulty  against  the  current,  and  left  it  in  the  latitude 
of  38°  north,  to  enter  another  river  [Illinois],  which  took 
us  to  the  lake  of  the  Illinois  [Michigan] ,  which  is  a  much 
shorter  way  than  through  the  river  Mesconsin,  by  which 
we  entered  the  Mississippi. 

"  I  never  saw  a  more  beautiful  country  than  we  found  on 
this  river.  The  prairies  are  covered  with  buffaloes,  stags, 
goats,  and  the  rivers  and  lakes  with  swans,  ducks,  geese, 
parrots,  and  beavers.  The  river  upon  which  we  sailed  was 
wide,  deep,  and  placid  for  sixty-five  leagues,  and  navigable 
most  all  the  year  around.  There  is  a  portage  of  only  half 
a  league  into  the  lake  of  the  Illinois.  We  found  on  the 
banks  of  this  river  a  village  called  Kuilka,  consisting  of 
seventy-four  cabins.  They  received  us  very  kindly,  and  we 
promised  to  return  to  instruct  them.  The  chief,  with  most 
of  the  youth  of  this  village,  accompanied  us  to  the  lake, 
from  whence  we  returned  to  the  Bay  of  Puan  [Green 
Bay]  ,  about  the  end  of  September.  If  my  perilous  journey 
had  been  attended  with  no  other  advantage  than  the  sal 
vation  of  one  soul,  I  would  think  my  perils  sufficiently 
rewarded.  I  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  Illinois  of  Perou- 
arca  for  three  days  together.  My  instructions  made  such 
an  impression  upon  this  poor  people,  that  as  soon  as  we 
were  about  to  depart  they  brought  to  me  a  dying  child  to 
baptize,  which  I  did,  about  half  an  hour  before  he  died,  and 
which,  by  a  special  providence,  God  was  pleased  to  save." 

To  reach  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  was  to  be  the 
work  of  La  Salle,  a  man  whose  influence  in  the  history 


FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  INTERIOR        427 

of  North  America  it  is  difficult  to  overestimate.  He  it  was 
who  gave  to  France  Louisiana;  and  its  first  possession  by 
the  French  made  possible  its  purchase  later  by  the  United 
States.  The  story  of  La  Salle's  exploration  of  the  "  Father 
of  Waters"  to  its  estuary  and  of  the  difficulties  and  dis 
couragements  he  was  compelled  to  overcome  before  he 
could  accomplish  that  purpose,  shows  him  to  have  been 
possessed  of  an  enthusiasm,  a  courage,  and  an  indomitable 
will  rarely  exampled  in  history.  Not  until  his  third  attempt, 
and  after  being  twice  poisoned  by  his  enemies,  having  his 
estate  seized  by  his  creditors,  and  enduring  unimaginable 
labors,  did  he  succeed  in  his  design  to  reach  the  ocean  by 
way  of  the  Mississippi.  On  his  first  attempt,  being  stranded 
on  the  Illinois  without  supplies  or  means  of  conveyance,  he 
set  out  to  walk  to  Montreal,  a  distance  of  over  one  thou 
sand  miles.  After  his  second  failure,  he  and  his  friend, 
Henry  de  Tonty,  paddled  their  canoes  from  Lake  Michigan 
to  Fort  Frontenac.  But  La  Salle  would  not  give  up  the 
attempt;  and  at  last  he  wrested  success,  as  it  would  seem, 
from  the  unwilling  hand  of  destiny.  On  the  Qth  of  April, 
1682,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  he  formally  declared 
Louis  XIV.  in  possession,  by  right  of  discovery,  of  all  the 
territory  drained  by  the  great  river,  and  called  it  after 
the  name  of  the  king.  But  La  Salle's  career  seems  to  show 
him  to  have  been  a  pet  of  misfortune.  Even  the  honor 
of  his  achievement  was  stolen  by  Hennepin,  who  hastened 
back  to  Paris  and  wrote  a  book  in  which  he  claimed  to  have 
himself  explored  the  Mississippi;  and  in  March,  1687, 
La  Salle  was  muidered  by  mutineers  of  his  own  company. 
At  the  time  of  La  Salle's  great  achievement,  France  had 
been  exploring  the  North  American  continent  a  century 
and  a  half.  Her  navigators  had  sailed  along  much  of  the 
eastern  seaboard,  but  these  expeditions  had  served  no  lasting 
purpose.  Verrazano's  fiction  of  a  great  western  sea  ap 
proaching  the  Atlantic  seacoast  about  midway  had  been 
exploded.  The  expeditions  of  Cartier  and  the  subsequent 
explorations  of  Champlain,  Nicolet,  Joliet,  and  others  proved 


428  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

that  two  great  interior  valleys  spread  out  where  Verrazano's 
sea  was  supposed  to  roll.  But  if  France  had  acquired  little 
influence  on  the  eastern  shores,  she  had  gained  a  dominant 
position  in  the  region  of  the  St.  Lawrence;  settlements  had 
been  formed,  missions  planted,  and  trading  outposts  estab 
lished.  She  was  continually  pushing  forward  her  limits ;  and 
with  the  advantages  of  the  northern  outlet  in  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  and  the  southern  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  she 
enjoyed  a  position  that  was  full  of  promise.  The  rinding 
of  this  latter  marks  the  term  of  French  discovery  in  North 
America. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS 

IN  after  years,  when  England  had  become  awakened  to 
the  value  of  colonization,  she  based  her  claim  to  the  lands 
over  which  she  disputed  with  Spain  and  France  on  priority 
of  discovery.  With  great  confidence,  she  cited  the  voy 
ages  of  Cabot  and  others,  when  it  was  convenient  so  to 
do.  But  it  nevertheless  remains  a  fact  that  for  seventy 
years  England  paid  but  little  attention  to  transatlantic  ex 
ploration.  At  first  the  discovery  of  the  New  World 
aroused  a  great  wonderment  there,  as  it  did  all  over  Europe. 
And  when  the  Cabots  returned  from  their  western  voyages 
they  received  the  attention  and  honor  which  their  exploits 
warranted.  But  seeing  that  they  came  back  empty-handed, 
and  could  only  report  that  they  had  found  a  land  peopled 
with  almost  naked  savages,  the  practical  English  soon  lost 
their  interest,  except  as  they  were  entertained  by  tales  which 
crossed  the  Channel  of  the  wonders  to  be  seen  in  these  far- 
off  countries.  Until  the  time  of  John  Hawkins,  England 
did  little  but  send  a  few  fishing  vessels  to  gather  the  spoils 
of  the  sea  in  company  with  the  ships  of  Portugal  and  Brit 
tany.  Being,  during  this  period,  at  peace  with  Spain,  the 
English  government  respected  the  rights  of  priority  which 
that  country  had  gained  in  the  only  parts  of  the  New  World 
which  presented  the  attractions  of  ascertained  wealth.  It 
cannot  be  said  that  England  was  at  all  deterred  from  enter 
ing  the  field  of  discovery  by  reason  of  the  allotment  made 

429 


43° 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


by  Pope  Alexander;  for  it  had  never  been  her  wont  to 
permit  the  Church  to  usurp  the  Crown's  prerogative. 
Nevertheless,  it  was  the  Reformation,  and  the  casting  off 
of  all  allegiance  to  Rome,  that  led  England  into  the  path  of 
western  enterprise.  The  Reformation  aroused  and  expanded 
the  spirit  of  the  nation  and  thus  made  men  ready  for  any 
adventurous  outlet.  The  Reformation  also  resulted  in 
placing  England  in  a  position  of  antagonism  and  rivalry 
toward  Spain,  which  in  turn  brought  about  the  creation  of 
a  British  navy,  trained  a  race  of  experienced  and  daring 
sea  rovers,  and  led  them  across  the  main  on  voyages  of 
reprisal  and  plunder. 

The  first  expeditions  by  which  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her 
subjects  became  practically  interested  in  the  gainful  possi 
bilities  of  America  were  projected  for  ends  quite  different 
from  and  far  less  creditable  than  those  of  discovery  or  even 
of  harassing  the  Spaniards.  They  were  nothing  other  than 
slave-trading  ventures.  Spain,  jealously  reserving  to  her 
self  every  sort  of  traffic  with  her  colonists,  had  prohibited 
their  purchasing  even  slaves  from  foreigners.  But  the  needs 
of  the  settlers  in  the  West  Indies,  Brazil,  and  elsewhere 
were  great;  for  wherever  the  Spaniards  gained  a  foothold 
their  horrible  barbarism  destroyed  the  native  Indian  popu 
lation.  Negroes  were  early  imported;  but  as  Spain  had  no 
African  possessions  the  supply  was  very  far  from  meeting 
the  increasing  demand.  In  this  fact  John  Hawkins  saw 
his  opportunity;  and  though  from  the  pious  expressions 
which  plentifully  bestrew  his  writings  he  must  have  been 
taken  for  a  godly  man,  the  ideas  of  his  time  were  not  such 
as  to  render  the  lack  of  any  compunctions  of  conscience 
on  this  matter  inconsistent  with  morality. 

John  was  the  son  of  "  Olde  M.  William  Haukins  of 
Plimmouth,  a  man  for  his  wisedome,  valure,  experience, 
and  skill  in  sea  causes  much  esteemed,  and  beloued  of 
King  Henry  the  8,  and  being  one  of  the  principall  Sea 
Captaines  in  the  West  partes  of  England  in  his  time."- 
(Richard  Hakluyt,  London,  1589.)  Old  William,  in  his 


THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS  431 

time,  was  not  content  to  make  the  short  voyages  to  which 
the  seafaring  of  most  of  his  fellow  mariners  was  cok^ned. 
He  made  three  trips  to  the  coast  of  Brazil,  calling  nrst  at 
the  river  Sestos,  in  Guinea ;  and  though  Hakluyt  only 
speaks  of  his  trafficking  with  the  negroes  for  "  Olephants 
teeth,"  it  is  suspected  that  he  carried  thence  to  Brazil  mer 
chandise  of  a  darker  hue  and  livelier  nature.  But  whatever 
may  have  been  the  case  with  the  father,  it  is  certain  that 
the  son  made  his  voyages  to  America  by  way  of  the  Afri 
can  coast  with  the  well-understood  purpose  of  kidnapping 
negroes  and  selling  them  to  the  Spaniards.  It  is  also  prob 
able  that  Queen  Elizabeth  had  a  financial  interest  in  these 
ventures.  Hawkins's  first  voyage  was  made  in  1562.  He 
sailed  with  three  ships  and  carried  from  the  coast  of  Guinea 
three  hundred  negroes,  which  he  sold  in  Hispaniola.  Though 
little  is  told  us  of  the  incidents  of  this  voyage,  it  is  of  the 
highest  importance  in  English  maritime  history,  for  by  its 
means  the  people  of  that  nation  first  became  directly 
acquainted  with  the  seas  of  the  West  Indies. 

Having  discovered  so  certain  a  means  of  profit,  Hawkins 
was  not  long  in  fitting  out  another  squadron,  for  he  sailed 
again  in  the  year  1564.  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  remarking 
that  the  name  Jesus,  being  that  of  one  of  his  ships,  is  ex 
tremely  inconsonant  with  the  nature  of  his  business.  We 
read  that  he  was  not  above  aiding  a  negro  king  in  his  feuds, 
in  order  that  he  might  receive  as  pay  the  negro  prisoners 
taken  in  the  war,  and  it  is  not  unpleasant  to  learn  that 
Hawkins  was  tricked  by  the  dusky  potentate.  He  relates 
how  he  hoped  to  share  in  the  six  hundred  prisoners  taken ; 
but,  as  he  naively  complains :  "  The  Negro  (in  which  nation 
is  seldom  or  never  found  truth)  meant  nothing  less:  for 
that  night  he  removed  his  camp,  and  prisoners,  so  that  we 
were  fain  to  content  us  with  those  few  which  we  had  gotten 
ourselves."  This  particular  occurrence  happened  on  his 
third  voyage.  On  his  second  he  had  been  more  successful; 
and  having  sold  his  slaves  to  the  Spaniards  in  continental 
ports,  he  decided  to  return  with  the  Gulf  Stream  by  the 


432  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

coast  of  Florida.  The  principal  incidents  of  this  voyage, 
which  served  so  greatly  to  arouse  English  interest  in  Ameri 
can  lands,  we  will  quote  in  the  words  of  Sparke,  who  sailed 
with  Hawkins  on  the  expedition: 

"Thus  on  the  lyth  of  June  [1564]  we  departed,  and 
on  the  2Oth  we  fell  with  the  west  end  of  Cuba,  called  Cape 
St.  Antony,  where  for  the  space  of  three  days  we  doubled 
along,  till  we  came  beyond  the  shoals,  which  are  twenty 
leagues  beyond  St.  Antony.  And  the  ordinary  breeze 
taking  us,  which  is  the  northeast  wind,  put  us  on  the  24th 
from  the  shore,  and  therefore  we  went  to  the  northwest  to 
fetch  wind,  and  also  to  the  coast  of  Florida  to  have  the 
help  of  the  current,  which  was  judged  to  have  set  to 
the  eastward:  so  on  the  2Qth  we  found  ourselves  in  twenty- 
seven  degrees,  and  in  the  soundings  of  Florida,  where  we 
kept  ourselves  the  space  of  four  days,  sailing  along  the 
coast  as  near  as  we  could,  in  ten  or  twelve  fathom  water, 
having  all  the  while  no  sight  of  land. 

"  On  the  5th  of  July  we  had  sight  of  certain  islands  of 
sand,  called  the  Tortugas  (which  is  low  land)  where  the 
captain  went  in  with  his  pinnace,  and  found  such  a  number 
of  birds,  that  in  half  an  hour  he  laded  her  with  them;  and 
if  they  had  been  ten  boats  more  they  might  have  done  the 
like.  .  .  .  Here  we  anchored  six  hours,  and  then  a 
fair  gale  of  wind  springing,  we  weighed  anchor,  and  made 
sail  towards  Cuba,  whither  we  came  on  the  sixth  day,  and 
weathered  as  far  as  the  Table,  being  a  hill  so  called,  be 
cause  of  the  form  thereof;  .  .  .  This  hill  we  thinking 
to  have  been  the  Table,  made  account  (as  it  was  indeed) 
that  Havana  was  but  eight  leagues  to  windward,  but  by  the 
persuasion  of  a  Frenchman,  who  made  the  captain  believe 
he  knew  the  Table  very  well,  and  had  been  at  Havana,  said 
that  it  was  not  the  Table,  and  that  the  Table  was  much 
higher,  and  nearer  to  the  seaside,  and  that  there  was  no  plain 
ground  to  the  eastward,  nor  hills  to  the  westward,  but  all 
was  contrary,  and  that  behind  the  hills  to  the  westward  was 


Map  showing  discoveries  of  Henry  Hudson  in  the 

British 


th  in  1612.      From  the  original  copperplate  in  the 
iseum. 


ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS 


433 


Havana.  To  which  persuasion  credit  being  given  by  some, 
and  they  are  not  of  the  worst,  the  captain  was  persuaded  to 
go  to  leeward,  and  so  sailed  along  on  the  seventh  and  eighth 
days,  rinding  no  habitations,  nor  no  other  Table; 
he  determined  to  seek  water,  and  to  go  farther  to  leeward, 
to  a  place  (as  it  is  set  in  the  card)  called  Rio  de  los  Puercos, 
which  he  was  in  doubt  of,  both  whether  it  were  inhabited, 
and  whether  there  were  water  or  not,  and  whether  for  the 
shoals  he  might  have  such  access  with  his  ships,  that  he 
might  conveniently  take  in  the  same.  And  while  we  were 
in  these  troubles,  and  kept  our  way  to  the  place  aforesaid, 
Almighty  God  our  guide  (who  would  not  suffer  us  to  run 
into  any  further  danger,  which  we  had  been  like  to  have 
incurred,  if  we  had  ranged  the  coast  of  Florida  along  as  we 
did  before,  which  is  so  dangerous,  by  reports,  that  no  ship 
escapeth  which  cometh  thither,  as  the  Spaniards  have  very 
well  proved  the  same)  sent  us  on  the  eighth  day  at  night  a 
fair  westerly  wind,  whereupon  the  captain  and  company  con 
sulted,  determined  not  to  refuse  God's  gift,  but  every  man 
was  contented  to  pinch  his  own  belly,  whatsoever  had  hap 
pened;  and  taking  the  said  wind,  on  the  gth  day  of  July 
got  to  the  Table,  and  sailing  the  same  night,  unawares  over 
shot  Havana ;  at  which  place  we  thought  to  have  watered : 
but  the  next  day,  not  knowing  that  we  had  overshot  the  same, 
sailed  along  the  coast  seeking  it,  and  the  eleventh  day  in  the 
morning,  by  certain  known  marks,  we  understood  that  we 
had  overshot  it  twenty  leagues;  in  which  coast  ranging 
we  found  no  convenient  watering  place,  whereby  there  was 
no  remedy  but  to  disembogue,  and  to  water  upon  the  coast 
of  Florida;  for,  to  go  further  to  the  eastward  we  could  not 
for  the  shoals,  which  are  very  dangerous;  and  because  the 
current  shooteth  to  the  northeast,  we  doubted  by  the  force 
thereof  to  be  set  upon  them,  and  therefore  durst  not  ap 
proach  them ;  so  making  but  reasonable  way  the  day  afore 
said  and  all  the  night,  the  twelfth  day  in  the  morning  we 
fell  in  with  the  islands  upon  the  cape  of  Florida,  which 
we  could  scant  double,  by  the  means  that  fearing  the  shoals 


434 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


to  the  eastwards,  and  doubting  the  current  coming  out  of  the 
west,  which  was  not  of  that  force  that  we  made  account  of, 
for  we  felt  little  or  none  till  we  fell  with  the  cape,  and  then 
felt  such  a  current  that,  bearing  all  sails  against  the  same, 
yet  were  driven  back  again  a  great  pace;  .  .  .  and 
so  then  altogether  they  kept  on  their  way  along  the  coast 
of  Florida,  and  the  fifteenth  day  came  to  an  anchor,  and 
so  from  twenty-six  degrees  to  thirty  degrees  and  a  half, 
where  the  Frenchmen  abode,  ranging  all  the  coast  along, 
seeking  for  fresh  water,  anchoring  every  night  because  we 
would  overshoot  no  place  of  fresh  water,  and  in  the  day 
time  the  captain  in  the  ship's  pinnace  sailed  along  the  shore, 
went  into  every  creek,  speaking  with  divers  of  the  Floridians, 
because  he  would  understand  where  the  Frenchmen  in 
habited  ;  and  not  finding  them  in  twenty-eight  degrees,  as 
it  was  declared  unto  him,  marvelled  thereat,  and  never  left 
sailing  along  the  coast  till  he  found  them,  who  inhabited  in  a 
river,  by  them  called  the  river  of  May,  and  standing  in  thirty 
degrees  and  better.  ...  In  the  river  of  May  aforesaid 
the  captain,  entering  with  his  pinnace,  found  a  French  ship 
of  fourscore  ton,  and  two  pinnaces  of  fifteen  ton  apiece  by 
her,  and  speaking  with  the  keepers  thereof,  they  told  him 
of  a  fort  two  leagues  up,  which  they  had  built,  in  which 
their  captain,  Monsieur  Laudonniere,  was,  with  certain 
soldiers  therein.  To  whom  our  captain  sending  to  under 
stand  of  a  watering  place,  where  he  might  conveniently  take 
it  in,  and  to  have  license  for  the  same,  he  straight,  because 
there  was  no  convenient  place  but  up  the  river  five  leagues, 
where  the  water  was  fresh,  did  send  him  a  pilot  for  the 
more  expedition  thereof,  to  bring  in  one  of  his  barques, 
which,  going  in  with  other  boats  provided  for  the  same 
purpose,  anchored  before  the  fort,  into  the  which  our  cap 
tain  went,  where  he  was  by  the  general,  with  other  captains 
and  soldiers,  very  gently  entertained,  who  declared  unto 
him  the  time  of  their  being  there,  which  was  fourteen 
months,  with  the  extremity  they  were  driven  to  for  want 
of  victuals,  having  brought  very  little  with  them ; 


THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS  435 

In  which  perplexity  our  captain  seeing  them,  spared  them 
out  of  his  ship  twenty  barrels  of  meal  and  four  pipes  of 
beans,  with  divers  other  victuals  and  necessaries  which  he 
might  conveniently  spare;  and  to  help  them  the  better 
homewards,  whither  they  were  bound  before  our  coming, 
at  their  request  we  spared  them  one  of  our  barques  of  fifty 
ton.  Notwithstanding  the  great  want  that  the  Frenchmen 
had,  the  ground  doth  yield  victuals  sufficient  if  they  would 
have  taken  pains  to  get  the  same;  but  they,  being  soldiers, 
desired  to  live  by  the  sweat  of  other  men's  brows ;  for  while 
they  had  peace  with  the  Floridians  they  had  fish  sufficient 
by  weirs  which  they  made  to  catch  the  same;  but  when 
they  grew  to  wars  the  Floridians  took  away  the  same  again, 
and  then  would  not  the  Frenchmen  take  the  pains  to  make 
any  more.  The  ground  yieldeth  naturally  grapes  in  great 
store,  for  in  the  time  that  the  Frenchmen  were  there  they 
made  twenty  hogsheads  of  wine. 

"From  thence  we  departed  on  the  28th  of  July  upon  our 
voyage  homewards,  having  there  all  things  as  might  be  most 
convenient  for  our  purpose ;  and  took  leave  of  the  French 
men  that  there  still  remained,  who  with  diligence  determined 
to  make  as  great  speed  after  as  they  could.  Thus,  by  means 
of  contrary  winds  oftentimes,  we  prolonged  our  voyage  in 
such  manner  that  victuals  scanted  with  us,  so  that  we  were 
divers  times  (or  rather  the  most  part)  in  despair  of  ever 
coming  home,  had  not  God  of  His  goodness  better  provided 
for  us  than  our  deserving.  In  which  state  of  great  misery 
we  were  provoked  to  call  upon  Him  by  fervent  prayer,  which 
moved  Him  to  hear  us,  so  that  we  had  a  prosperous  wind, 
which  did  set  us  so  far  shot  as  to  be  upon  the  bank  of 
Newfoundland  on  St.  Bartholomew's  Eve,  and  we  sounded 
thereupon,  finding  ground  at  a  hundred  and  thirty  fathoms, 
being  that  day  somewhat  becalmed,  and  took  a  great  num 
ber  of  fresh  codfish,  which  greatly  relieved  us:  and  being 
very  glad  thereof  the  next  day  we  departed,  and  had  linger 
ing  little  gales  for  the  space  of  four  or  five  days,  at  the 
end  of  wrhich  we  saw  a  couple  of  French  ships,  and  had 


436  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  them  so  much  fish  as  would  serve  us  plentifully  for  all  the 
rest  of  the  way,  the  captain  paying  for  the  same  both  gold 
and  silver,  to  the  just  value  thereof,  unto  the  chief  owners 
of  the  said  ships;  but  they,  not  looking  for  anything  at  all, 
were  glad  in  themselves  to  meet  with  such  good  enter 
tainment  at  sea  as  they  had  at  our  hands.  After  which 
departure  from  them  with  a  good  large  wind  on  the  2Oth 
of  September  we  came  to  Padstow,  in  Cornwall,  God  be 
thanked,  in  safety,  with  the  loss  of  twenty  persons  in  all 
the  voyage,  and  with  great  profit  to  the  venturers  of  the 
said  voyage,  as  also  to  the  whole  realm,  in  bringing  home 
both  gold,  silver,  pearls,  and  other  jewels  great  store. 

"His  name,  therefore,  be  praised  for  evermore.    Amen." 

The  French  settlement  which  Hawkins,  in  1565,  so  chari 
tably  succored  was  a  Huguenot  attempt  at  colonization  ;  an 
effort  made  by  the  Protestants  of  France  to  seek  that  religious 
freedom  in  the  New  World,  the  hope  of  which  was  afterward 
to  people  North  America.  The  river,  which  Jean  Ribault 
and  his  party  had  entered  on  May  Day  of  1 562,  was  called  by 
them  the  River  of  May ;  on  their  arrival  they  were  received 
by  the  Indians  in  a  most  friendly  manner  and  with  much 
hospitality;  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  May  the  Frenchmen 
erected  a  pillar  bearing  the  arms  of  France,  thereby  making 
a  claim  of  possession,  which,  however,  was  probably  but  ill 
understood  by  the  natives.  They  then  sailed  northward  and  a 
settlement  was  made  at  Port  Royal,  which  was  soon  aban 
doned.  The  story  of  Jean  Ribault's  venture  is  one  of  the 
saddest  in  human  annals.  While  that  commander  was  absent 
in  France  collecting  recruits  and  provisions,  Laudonniere  ar 
rived  in  St.  John's  River  with  a  new  expedition,  which  fared 
no  better  than  Ribault's.  Its  history  is  that  of  war  with  the 
Indians,  mutiny  among  the  soldiers,  and  dreadful  famine. 
Immediately  after  Hawkins  had  left  them,  as  narrated  in 
Sparke's  account,  Ribault  arrived.  But  this  good  fortune 
was  swept  away  by  the  almost  simultaneous  appearance  of  a 
Spanish  fleet  under  the  command  of  the  bigoted  Menendez. 


THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS 


437 


He  was  commissioned  by  the  Spanish  king  to  conquer 
Florida,  to  which  country  Philip  II.  did  not  question 
but  that  he  held  title.  It  had  been  invaded  by  French 
heretics;  therefore,  the  expedition  of  Menendez  was  re 
garded  as  a  sanctified  crusade.  The  main  events  of  the 
story  may  be  briefly  told — and,  indeed,  it  is  not  a  narrative 
pleasant  to  dwell  upon.  The  Spanish  commander  marched 
overland,  and  surprised  Fort  Caroline  while  Ribault  was 
absent.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  butchered  in  one 
indescribable  hour  of  carnage  which  engulfed  the  settlement. 
In  retaliation,  Ribault  planned  to  attack  the  Spaniards  at 
St.  Augustine.  But  his  ships  were  driven  ashore  by  a  hurri 
cane,  and  the  Frenchmen  were  at  Menendez's  mercy.  By 
perfidious  promises  of  safe  conduct,  he  drew  Ribault  and 
his  people  to  surrender  themselves.  The  Spaniard  says: 
"  I  caused  Juan  Ribao,  with  all  the  rest,  to  be  put  to  the 
knife,  judging  this  to  be  necessary  for  the  service  of  God 
our  Lord  and  of  your  majesty."  There  is  but  one  relieving 
feature  in  this  gloomy  story;  and  that  is  the  fact  that,  in 
1568,  Dominique  de  Gourgues  exacted  vengeance  to  the 
full  on  these  murderers  of  his  countrymen.  He  surprised 
them  in  that  same  Fort  Caroline.  He  hanged  the  prisoners 
on  the  limbs  of  the  same  trees  on  which  Menendez  had 
hanged  the  Huguenots;  and  where  the  Spanish  commander 
had  placed  the  legend  "Not  as  Frenchmen,  but  as  heretics," 
Gourgues  placed  a  tablet  with  the  words  "  Not  as  Spaniards, 
but  as  murderers."  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  the  regret  that 
at  that  moment  Menendez  was  enjoying  high  honor  for  his 
deeds  in  the  court  of  Philip  II. 

During  the  third  quarter  of  the  sixteenth  century  Spain 
was  the  mightiest  power  in  Europe.  Enriched  by  her  vast 
possessions  in  the  New  World  and  strengthened  by  her  con 
tinental  alliances,  her  influence  dominated  Europe.  England, 
whose  religious  sympathies  and  political  interests  favored 
the  Netherlands  in  their  revolt  against  the  Spanish  yoke, 
assisted  the  Dutch  with  money  and  arms.  Brought  thus 
into  conflict,  England  and  Spain  became  bitter  enemies,  an 


438  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

antagonism  which  took  on  the  aspect  of  racial  and  re 
ligious  antipathies,  traditional  among  both  peoples  even  to 
this  day.  This  conflict  soon  displayed  itself  in  the  New 
World,  where  Spain  was  most  exposed.  Sir  John  Hawkins, 
by  his  voyages,  pointed  out  the  way  by  which  England  could 
make  the  attack  with  most  advantage  to  herself  and  weaken 
ing  effect  upon  Castile.  He  also  aided  in  the  training  of  one 
who  was  destined  to  push  English  maritime  enterprise  into 
bold  competition  with  that  nation  which  deemed  itself  the 
proprietor,  by  Divine  gift,  of  the  western  world.  When 
Hawkins  sailed  on  his  third  slave-carrying  trip,  there  accom 
panied  him,  in  command  of  the  Judith,  a  young  man  named 
Drake,  who  was  afterward  to  win  himself  great  renown  by 
his  audacious  "singeing  of  the  king  of  Spain's  beard." 

Hawkins  had  contented  himself  by  making  gain  in  his 
slave-dealing  exploits;  but  the  breach  between  England  and 
Spain  was  every  year  widening;  the  secret  aid  which  Eliza 
beth  sent  to  the  revolted  Dutch,  the  constantly  growing 
religious  enmity  of  the  two  peoples,  in  which  Spain  was 
regarded  as  the  champion  of  Catholicism  and  England  the 
bulwark  of  Protestantism,  were  causes  rapidly  making  for 
open  hostility.  Though  nominally  at  peace  with  Spain, 
Elizabeth  looked  with  more  than  lenity  upon  the  piratical 
operations  of  Francis  Drake  against  the  Spanish  galleons. 
While  on  one  of  these  buccaneering  expeditions,  he  crossed 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama;  and  beholding  the  Pacific,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  city  of  Panama,  the  emporium  of  Spanish 
wealth,  he  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  explore  that  great 
ocean,  and  doubted  not  but  that  means  would  be  found  to 
make  the  expedition  profitable. 

He  laid  this  project  before  Elizabeth  and  the  statesmen 
of  England,  who  in  private  gave  it  their  sanction,  and  on 
the  1 3th  of  December,  1577,  Drake  set  sail  from  Plymouth 
with  four  ships  and  a  pinnace.  Though  it  was  given  out 
that  the  destination  of  this  fleet  was  Alexandria,  on  the  2Oth 
of  June,  1578,  it  was  anchored  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 
The  Spaniards  felt  themselves  so  secure  in  the  belief  that 


THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS  439 

no  hostile  vessels  would  venture  through  these  tempestuous 
waters,  that  they  left  their  ports  on  the  coasts  of  Chili  and 
Peru  totally  unfortified.  In  these  Drake  found  so  many 
undefended  treasure  vessels,  that  in  April,  1579,  "thinking 
himself  both  in  respect  of  his  private  injuries  received  from 
the  Spaniards,  and  also  of  their  contempts  and  indignities 
offered  to  our  country  and  Prince  in  general,  sufficiently 
satisfied  and  revenged :  and  supposing  that  her  Majesty  at 
his  return  would  rest  contented  with  his  service,  proposed 
to  continue  no  longer  upon  the  Spanish  coasts,  but  began  to 
consider  and  to  consult  of  the  best  way  for  his  Country." 
He  determined  that  it  would  not  be  expedient  to  return  by 
way  of  the  strait,  both  on  account  of  the  storms  which 
prevail  there  and  also  because  he  conjectured  that  the  Span 
iards  might  be  there  awaiting  him  in  force.  He  therefore 
decided  to  follow  the  course  which  had  previously  been 
taken  by  Magellan  in  his  circumnavigation  of  the  globe. 
Sailing  northward,  he  entered  a  harbor  somewhere  near  San 
Francisco,  though  it  is  very  probable  that  he  did  not  dis 
cover  or  pass  through  the  Golden  Gate.  Neither  can  it  be 
said  that  Drake  was  the  discoverer  of  California,  for  the 
Spaniards  had  long  been  acquainted  with  its  southern  coast, 
and  Juan  Cabrillo  had  sailed  along  upper  California  in  1542. 
The  account  by  Francis  Pretty,  who  was  one  of  Drake's 
company,  is  the  first  description  we  have  of  the  Pacific 
coast  of  the  United  States;  and  from  this  we  will  quote 
the  principal  passages : 

"  On  the  5th  of  June,  being  in  forty-three  degrees  towards 
the  Arctic  Pole,  wo  found  the  air  so  cold,  that  our  men  being 
grievously  pinched  with  the  same,  complained  of  the  ex 
tremity  thereof,  and  the  further  we  went,  the  more  the  cold 
increased  upon  us.  Whereupon  we  thought  it  best  for  that 
time  to  seek  the  land,  and  did  so,  finding  it  not  mountain 
ous,  but  low  plain  land,  till  we  came  within  thirty-eight 
degrees  towards  the  line.  In  which  height  it  pleased  God 
to  send  us  into  a  fair  and  good  bay,  with  a  good  wind  to 


440 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


enter  the  ~same.  In  this  bay  we  anchored,  and  the  people 
of  the  country  having  their  houses  close  by  the  waterside, 
showed  themselves  unto  us,  and  sent  a  present  to  our  Gen 
eral.  When  they  came  unto  us,  they  greatly  wondered  at 
the  things  that  we  brought,  but  our  General  (according  to 
his  natural  and  accustomed  humanity)  courteously  entreated 
them,  and  liberally  bestowed  on  them  necessary  things  to 
cover  their  nakedness,  whereupon  they  supposed  us  to  be 
gods,  and  would  not  be  persuaded  to  the  contrary:  the 
presents  which  they  sent  to  our  General  were  feathers,  and 
cauls  of  net-work.  Their  houses  are  digged  round  about 
the  earth,  and  have  from  the  uttermost  brims  of  the  circle, 
clifts  of  wood  set  upon  them,  joined  close  together  at  the 
top  like  a  spire  steeple,  which  by  reason  of  that  closeness 
are  very  warm.  Their  bed  is  the  ground  with  rushes  strewed 
on  it,  and  lying  about  the  house,  they  have  the  fire  in  the 
midst.  The  men  go  naked,  the  women  take  bulrushes,  and 
comb  them  after  the  manner  of  hemp,  and  thereof  make 
their  loose  garments,  which  being  knit  about  their  middles, 
hang  down  about  their  hips,  having  also  about  their  shoul 
ders  a  skin  of  deer,  with  the  hair  upon  it.  These  women 
are  very  obedient  and  serviceable  to  their  husbands.  .  .  . 
The  news  of  our  being  there  spread  through  the  country, 
the  people  that  inhabited  round  about  came  down,  and 
amongst  them  the  King  himself,  a  man  of  goodly  stature, 
and  comely  personage,  with  many  other  tall  and  warlike 
men;  before  whose  coming  were  sent  two  Ambassadors  to 
our  General,  to  signify  that  their  King  was  coming,  in 
doing  of  which  message,  their  speech  was  continued  about 
half  an  hour.  This  ended,  they  by  signs  requested  our 
General  to  send  something  by  their  hand  to  their  King,  as 
a  token  that  his  coming  might  be  in  peace;  wherein  our 
General  having  satisfied  them,  they  returned  with  glad 
tidings  to  their  King,  who  marched  to  us  with  a  princely 
majesty,  the  people  crying  continually  after  their  manner, 
and  as  they  drew  near  unto  us,  so  did  they  strive  to  behave 
themselves  in  their  actions  with  comeliness. 


THE  ENGLISH  SEA  KINGS  44! 

"  In  the  meantime  our  General  gathered  his  men  together 
and  marched  within  his  fenced  place,  making  against  their 
approaching,  a  very  warlike  show.  .  .  .  The  General 
permitted  them  to  enter  within  our  bulwarks,  where  they 
continued  their  song  and  dance  a  reasonable  time.  When 
they  had  satisfied  themselves,  they  made  signs  to  our  General 
to  sit  down,  to  whom  the  King  and  divers  others  made  sev 
eral  orations,  or  rather  supplications,  that  he  would  take  their 
province  and  kingdom  into  his  hand,  and  become  their  King, 
making  signs  that  they  would  resign  unto  him  their  right 
and  title  of  the  whole  land,  and  become  his  subjects.  In 
which,  to  persuade  us  the  better,  the  King  and  the  rest,  with 
one  consent,  and  with  great  reverence,  joyfully  singing  a 
song,  did  set  the  crown  upon  his  head,  enriched  his  neck 
with  all  their  chains,  and  offered  him  many  other  things, 
honoring  him  by  the  name  of  Hioh,  adding  thereunto,  as  it 
seemed,  a  sign  of  triumph;  which  thing  our  General  thought 
not  meet  to  reject,  because  he  knew  not  what  honor  and 
profit  it  might  be  to  our  country.  Wherefore  in  the  name, 
and  to  the  use  of  her  majesty,  he  took  the  sceptre,  crown,  and 
dignity  of  the  said  country  into  his  hands,  wishing  that  the 
riches  and  treasure  thereof  might  so  conveniently  be  trans 
ported  to  the  enriching  of  her  kingdom  at  home,  as  it 
abounded  in  the  same. 

uOur  necessary  business  being  ended,  our  General  with 
his  company  travelled  up  into  the  country  to  their  villages, 
where  we  found  herds  of  deer  by  thousands  in  a  company, 
being  most  large,  and  fat  of  body. 

"  Our  General  called  this  country  New  Albion,  and  that 
for  two  causes,  the  one  in  respect  of  the  white  banks  and 
cliffs,  which  lie  towards  the  sea,  and  the  other,  because  it 
might  have  some  affinity  with  our  country  in  name,  which 
sometimes  was  so  called.  There  is  no  part  of  earth  here 
to  be  taken  up,  wherein  there  is  not  some  probable  show  of 
gold  or  silver. 

"  At  our  departure  hence  our  General  set  up  a  monument 
of  our  being  there,  as  also  of  her  majesty's  right  and  title 


442 


DISCO  FER  T  AND  EX  PL  OR  A  T1ON 


to  the  same,  namely,  a  plate,  nailed  upon  a  fair  great  post, 
whereupon  was  engraved  her  majesty's  name,  the  day  and 
year  of  our  arrival  there,  with  the  free  giving  up  of  the 
province  and  people  into  her  majesty's  hands,  together  with 
her  highness's  picture  and  arms,  in  a  piece  of  sixpence  of 
current  English  money,  under  the  plate,  whereunder  was 
also  written  the  name  of  our  General. 

"  It  seemeth  that  the  Spaniards  hitherto  had  never  been  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  neither  did  ever  discover  the  land 
by  many  degrees  to  the  southwards  of  this  place." 

By  Drake's  expedition,  undertaken  with  the  double  object 
of  exploring  the  Pacific  Ocean — the  South  Sea  of  the  Span 
iards — and  of  crippling  England's  secret  enemy,  the  English 
formally  acquired  their  first  territory  on  the  western  shores 
of  North  America,  though  this  acquisition  was  not  followed 
up.  The  energies  of  England  were  to  be  directed  to  the 
exploration  of  the  lands  already  discovered  on  the  eastern 
coasts,  and  to  the  founding  of  the  settlements  that  were  soon 
to  develop  into  well-organized  and  enterprising  colonies. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ENGLISH  EXPLORATION  IN  VIRGINIA  AND  NEW 
ENGLAND 

WHILE  brave  and  determined  French  explorers  were  ex 
tending  the  bounds  of  Canada  and  carrying  the  Cross  and 
the  fleur-de-lis  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  England 
was  not  neglectful  of  her  interest  in  the  New  World.  The 
growing  and  threatening  power  of  Spain  and  the  achieve 
ments  of  Hawkins  and  Drake  had  aroused  her,  and  under 
Queen  Elizabeth,  whose  liberal  policies  and  energetic  dis 
position  were  in  themselves  a  guarantee  of  prosperity, 
England  evoked  within  herself  that  enterprise  which  put 
her  on  a  par  with  the  strongest  nations  of  Europe  and 
gave  her  the  dominion  of  the  seas.  The  spirit  of  the  times, 
the  circumstances  which  were  forced  upon  the  government 
by  reason  of  its  Protestantism,  and  the  alluring  prospects 
in  the  New  World,  brought  and  trained  a  race  of  seamen 
who  carried  English  interests  to  their  highest  possible  de 
velopment.  The  energy  and  daring  of  those  navigators 
moulded  the  subsequent  history  of  two  continents  and  made 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth  an  epoch  which  will  be  the  admiration 
of  all  time. 

The  real  beginnings  of  English  enterprise  in  North 
America  must  be  attributed  to  the  half-brothers  Sir  Hum 
phrey  Gilbert  and  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  In  1578,  Queen 
Elizabeth  granted  a  charter  to  Gilbert  by  which  he  was 


444 


DISCO  PER  r  AND  EX  PL  OR  A  T1ON 


authorized  to  employ  the  next  six  years  in  discovering  and 
becoming  the  proprietor  of  "  such  remote,  heathen,  and  bar 
barous  lands,  not  actually  possessed  by  any  Christian  prince 
or  people,"  as  he  might  find.  With  seven  vessels,  one 
of  which  was  commanded  by  his  half-brother  Raleigh, 
Gilbert  sailed  with  the  intention  of  founding  a  colony  in 
"  Norumbega."  This  name  has  disappeared  from  American 
geography,  but  it  has  an  eminent  place  in  the  annals  of  early 
discovery.  It  was  surrounded  by  much  mythical  glamour, 
there  being  a  tradition  that  Norumbega,  could  it  ever  be 
found,  was  as  beautiful  a  city  as  the  eyes  of  man  might 
hope  to  behold.  Its  locality  was  as  uncertain  as  its  descrip 
tion  was  unreliable;  but  at  last  the  term  came  to  be  applied 
to  the  parts  now  known  as  New  England.  Lescarbot, 
quoting  a  work  published  at  Douay  in  1607,  says:  "More 
over,  towards  the  north  (saith  the  author,  after  he  had 
spoken  of  Virginia)  is  Norumbega,  which  is  known  well 
enough  by  reason  of  a  fair  town,  and  a  great  river,  though 
it  is  not  found  from  whence  it  hath  his  name :  for  the 
Barbarians  do  call  it  Agguncia;  at  the  mouth  of  this  river 
there  is  an  Island,  very  fit  for  fishing.  The  region  that 
goeth  along  the  sea  doth  abound  with  fish,  and  towards 
New  France  there  is  a  great  number  of  wild  beasts,  and  is 
very  commodious  for  hunting."  This  Norumbega  Gilbert 
intended  to  find,  and  therein  settle  a  colony.  But  hostili 
ties  with  the  Spaniards  crippled  his  fleet  and  compelled  his 
return  to  Plymouth.  In  June,  1583,  he  sailed  again,  with 
five  vessels.  The  narrative  of  this  voyage  was  written  by 
Edward  Hayes,  who  took  part  in  it;  and  it  is  not  only  the 
story  of  the  first  English  voyage  undertaken  for  the  purpose 
of  colonization,  but  is  a  most  intensely  graphic  picture  of 
adventurous  and  devoted  courage.  Gilbert  took  formal 
possession,  in  the  name  of  Elizabeth,  of  the  island  of 
Newfoundland.  In  this  acquisition  he  also  purposed  to 
include  Cape  Breton  and  Nova  Scotia,  but  winter  storms 
and  consequent  disaster  frustrated  his  plan.  One  of  his 
largest  vessels  foundered  and  went  down  with  all  hands. 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


445 


Gilbert  also,  whose  courage  and  piety  far  exceeded  his  sea 
manship,  was  lost  with  the  little  vessel  to  which  he  had 
committed  himself.  Hayes  thus  describes  this  most  regret 
table  disaster: 

"  On  Monday,  the  Qth  of  September,  in  the  afternoon, 
the  frigate  [the  Squirrel^  was  near  cast  away,  oppressed  by 
waves,  yet  at  that  time  recovered ;  and  giving  forth  signs 
of  joy,  the  General,  sitting  abaft  with  a  book  in  his  hand, 
cried  out  to  us  in  the  Hind  (so  oft  as  we  did  approach 
within  hearing),  cWe  are  as  near  to  Heaven  by  sea  as  by 
land,'  reiterating  the  same  speech,  well  beseeming  a  soldier 
resolute  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  I  can  testify  he  was.  On  the 
same  Monday  night,  about  twelve  o'clock,  or  not  long  after, 
the  frigate  being  ahead  of  us  in  the  Golden  Hind,  suddenly 
her  lights  were  out,  whereof  as  it  were  in  a  moment  we  lost 
the  sight,  and  withal  our  watch  cried  the  General  was  cast 
away,  which  was  too  true;  for  in  that  moment  the  frigate 
was  devoured  and  swallowed  up  by  the  sea.  Yet  still  we 
looked  out  all  that  night  and  ever  after,  until  we  arrived 
upon  the  coast  of  England." 

It  is  evident  that  the  promoters  of  these  expeditions 
looked  further  afield  than  was  involved  in  the  mere  prospect 
of  colonizing  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  The  time  had  not  yet 
come  when  they  could  see  greater  advantages  in  western 
discovery  than  were  anticipated  in  providing  a  way  to  the 
East.  Tangible  wealth,  known  to  exist  in  India  and  China, 
was  still  the  allurement,  rather  than  the  development  of  the 
possibilities  of  the  newly  found  land.  The  men  of  that 
time,  being  unable  to  form  any  conception  of  the  vast 
interior  of  the  American  continent,  minimized  the  distance 
between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  to  a  degree  which  to 
us  is  nothing  other  than  amusing.  Verrazano's  supposed 
sea  reaching  from  the  west  toward  the  Atlantic  had  not  yet 
been  fully  discredited.  The  prevailing  view  is  illustrated 
in  the  following  extract  from  Edward  Hayes's  writings,  in 


446  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

which    he   gives    his    reasons    for  urging   on    the    work  of 
American  exploration: 

"  I  will  add  hereunto  an  assured  hope  (grounded  upon 
infallible  reasons)  of  a  way  to  be  made  part  overland,  and 
part  by  rivers  or  lakes,  into  the  South  seas  into  Cathay, 
China,  and  those  passing  rich  countries,  lying  in  the  east 
parts  of  the  world :  which  way  or  passage  (supposed  to  be 
beyond  the  uttermost  bounds  of  America,  under  the  frozen 
Zone)  is,  nevertheless,  held  by  the  opinion  of  many  learned 
writers  and  men  of  judgment  now  living,  to  be  in  these 
more  temperate  regions;  and  that  the  same  shall  never  be 
made  known,  unless  we  plant  first ;  whereby  we  shall  learn 
as  much  by  inquisition  of  the  natural  inhabitants,  as  by 
our  own  navigations.  I  will  not  herein  rely  upon  reports 
made  in  the  Frenchmen's  discoveries;  that  the  sea  which 
giveth  passage  unto  Cathay  extendeth  from  the  North,  near 
unto  the  river  of  Canada,  into  44°,  where  the  same  of  the 
savages  is  called  Tadouac. 

"Neither  upon  the  discoveries  of  Jacques  Noel,  who 
having  passed  beyond  the  three  Saults,  where  Jacques  Car- 
tier  left  to  discover,  finding  the  river  St.  Lawrence  passable 
on  the  other  side  or  branch;  and  afterwards,  understood  of 
the  inhabitants,  that  the  same  river  did  lead  into  a  mighty 
lake,  which  at  the  entrance  was  fresh,  but  beyond,  was  bitter 
or  salt ;  the  end  whereof  was  unknown. 

"  Omitting  therefore  these  hopes,  I  will  ground  my  opinion 
upon  reason  and  nature,  which  will  not  fail.  For  this  we 
know  already,  that  great  rivers  have  been  discovered  a  thou 
sand  English  miles  into  that  continent  of  America;  namely, 
that  of  St.  Lawrence  or  Canada.  But  not  regarding  miles 
more  or  less,  most  assuredly,  that  and  other  known  rivers 
there  do  descend  from  the  highest  parts  or  mountains,  or 
middle  of  that  continent,  into  our  North  sea.  And  like  as 
those  mountains  do  cast  from  them  streams  into  our  North 
seas;  even  so  the  like  they  do  into  the  South  sea,  which  is 
on  the  back  of  that  continent. 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


447 


"  For  all  mountains  have  their  descents  toward  the  seas 
about  them,  which  are  the  lowest  places  and  proper  man 
sions  of  water:  and  waters  (which  are  contained  in  the 
mountains,  as  it  were  in  cisterns)  descending  naturally,  do 
always  resort  unto  the  seas  environing  those  lands:  for 
example,  from  the  Alps  confining  Germany,  France,  and 
Italy,  the  mighty  river  Danube  doth  take  his  course  east, 
and  discharged!  into  the  Pontique  sea;  the  Rhine,  north, 
and  falleth  into  the  German  sea;  the  Rhone,  west,  and 
goeth  into  the  Mediterranean  sea;  the  Po,  south,  is  emptied 
into  the  Adriatic,  or  Gulf  of  Venice.  Other  instances  may 
be  produced  to  like  effect  in  Africa;  yea,  at  home  amongst 
the  mountains  in  England. 

"  Seeing  then  in  nature  this  cannot  be  denied,  and  by  expe 
rience  elsewhere  is  found  to  be  so,  I  will  show  how  a  trade 
may  be  disposed  more  commodiously  into  the  South  sea 
through  these  temperate  and  habitable  regions,  than  by  the 
frozen  zones  in  the  supposed  passages  of  Northwest  or 
Northeast:  where,  if  the  very  moment  be  omitted  of  the 
time  to  pass,  then  are  we  like  to  be  frozen  in  the  seas,  or 
forced  to  winter  in  extreme  cold  and  darkness  like  unto 
hell :  or  in  the  midst  of  Summer,  we  shall  be  in  peril  to 
have  our  ships  overwhelmed  or  crushed  in  pieces  by  hideous 
and  fearful  mountains  of  ice  floating  upon  those  seas. 
Therefore  four  staple-places  must  be  erected,  when  the 
most  short  and  passable  way  is  found :  that  is  to  say,  two 
upon  the  North  side,  at  the  head  and  fall  of  the  river;  and 
two  others  on  the  South  side,  at  the  head  and  fall  also  of 
that  other  river.  Provided,  that  ships  may  pass  up  those 
rivers  unto  the  staples,  so  far  as  the  same  be  navigable  unto 
the  land;  and  afterwards,  that  boats  with  flat  bottoms  may 
also  pass  so  high,  and  near  the  heads  of  the  rivers  unto  the 
staples,  as  possibly  they  can,  even  with  less  than  two  foot 
water,  which  cannot  then  be  far  from  the  heads;  as  in  the 
river  of  Chagre. 

"  That  neck  or  space  of  land  between  the  two  heads  of 
the  same  rivers,  if  it  be  one  hundred  leagues  (which  is  not 


448  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

like)  the  commodities  from  the  North  and  from  the  South 
sea  brought  thither,  may  well  be  carried  over  the  same  by 
horses,  mules  or  beasts  of  that  country  apt  to  labor  (as  the 
elk  or  buffalo)  or  by  the  aid  of  many  Savages  accustomed 
to  burdens;  who  shall  stead  us  greatly  in  these  affairs.  It 
is,  moreover,  to  be  considered,  that  all  these  countries  do 
yield  (so  far  as  is  known)  Cedars,  Pines,  Fir  trees  and 
Oaks,  to  build,  mast,  and  yard  ships;  wherefore  we  may 
not  doubt,  but  that  ships  may  be  builded  on  the  South  sea. 
Then  as  the  ships  on  the  South  side  may  go  and  return  to 
and  from  Cathay,  China,  and  other  most  rich  regions  of  the 
East  world  in  five  months  or  thereabouts;  even  so  the  goods 
being  carried  over  unto  the  North  side,  ships  may  come 
thither  from  England  to  fetch  the  same  goods  and  return 
by  a  voyage  of  four  or  five  months  usually.  So  as  in  every 
four  months  may  be  returned  into  England  the  greatest 
riches  of  Cathay,  China,  Japan,  and  the  rest,  which  will 
be  Spices,  Drugs,  Musk,  Pearl,  Stones,  Gold,  Silver,  Silks, 
Clothes  of  gold,  and  all  manner  of  precious  things,  which 
shall  recompense  the  time  and  labor  of  their  transportation 
and  carriage,  if  it  were  as  far  and  dangerous  as  the  Moor's 
trade  is  from  Fess  and  Morocco  (over  the  burning  and 
movable  sands,  in  which  they  perish  many  times  and  suffer 
commonly  great  distresses)  unto  the  river  called  Niger  in 
Africa,  and  from  thence,  up  the  said  river  many  hundred 
miles ;  afterwards  overland  again,  unto  the  river  Nilus ;  and 
so  unto  Cairo  in  Egypt,  from  whence  they  return  the  way 
they  came.  Or  if  it  were  a  voyage  so  far  as  our  merchants 
have  made  into  Persia,  even  to  Ormus,  by  the  way  of  the 
North,  through  Russia  into  the  Caspian  sea,  and  so  forth, 
with  payment  of  many  tolls.  But  this  passage  over  and 
through  the  continent  of  America,  as  the  same  shall  be 
always  under  temperate  and  habitable  climates,  and  a  pleas 
ant  passage  after  it  hath  been  a  little  frequented:  even  so 
it  must  fall  out  much  shorter  than  it  seemeth,  by  false  de 
scription  of  that  continent,  which  doth  not  extend  so  far 
into  the  West,  as  by  later  navigations  is  found  and  described 


'^^ 

'"    \jN>VE^ 


- 

Sir  Francis  Drake 

Reuiued  : 


Calling  vpon  this  Dull  or  Effeminate  Age, 
to  folowc  his  Noble  Steps  for  Golde  &  Sillier, 

By  this  Memorable  Relation  ,  of  the  Rare  Gccurrances 

(neueryct  declared  to  the  YVorld)ina  Third  Voyage  ^ 

made  by  him  into  the  We(l-Indies,inthc  Ycares  73.  &  73. 

when  Nombre  de1>ios  was  by  hi  to  and  5  2  .  others 

only  in  his  Company,  furpriff  d. 

Faithfully  taken  outofthcReportcofM^C^^C^/7, 
Hlxon,  and  others,  who  were  in  the  fame  Voyage  with  him. 


Reviewed  alfo  by  Sr-  francu  Dr^hinifclfe  before  his  Death  , 

6c  Muchholpen  and  enlarged,  by  diuers  Notes,  with  hisowne 

hand  here  and  there  Infcited. 


Set  forth  by$r 

(his  Nephew)  no  w  lining. 


LONDON 
Pritited  by  E  A.  for  VtiAolu  B<"*ne  dwelling  ae  the 

*»          I    ««  f~1        -a -    -.//  V^sLiimtrs       I   ft  *  ^ 


Title-page  of  ft'r  Francis  Drake  Re-utvedy  published  in  1626.      From 
the  original  in  the  New  York  Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch. 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


449 


in  more  exquisite  charts.  Besides  that,  the  sea  extends 
itself  into  the  land  very  far  in  many  places  on  the  South 
side;  whereby  our  access  unto  the  South  ocean  shall  be  so 
much  the  shorter." 

Fortunately,  Raleigh  had  not  accompanied  Gilbert  on  the 
ill-fated  voyage  to  Newfoundland.  He  lived  to  devote 
many  years  of  earnest  thought  and  tireless  endeavor  to  the 
carrying  out  of  the  enterprise  in  which  his  half-brother  had 
perished.  In  the  meantime,  he  had  attained  to  high  favor 
in  Queen  Elizabeth's  court,  had  been  enriched  by  the  gift 
of  confiscated  estates,  and  had  become  a  high  officer  in  the 
queen's  entourage.  It  was,  therefore,  not  difficult  for  him 
to  obtain  the  duplication  in  his  own  name  of  the  charter 
granted  to  Gilbert.  Raleigh,  however,  having  learned 
something  of  the  resources  of  Florida  through  his  associa 
tion  with  Le  Moyne,  who  had  escaped  when  Ribault  and 
his  men  were  massacred  by  Menendez,  determined  to  seek 
a  more  southerly  latitude  than  the  gaunt  and  fog-enshrouded 
coasts  of  Newfoundland.  Beginning  his  enterprise  with 
careful  deliberation,  and  unwilling  to  expose  a  band  of 
colonists  to  the  uncertain  chances  of  any  coast  they  might 
happen  to  strike,  he,  in  1584,  sent  an  expedition,  consisting 
of  two  vessels  under  the  command  of  Arthur  Barlow  and 
Philip  Amadas,  to  reconnoitre  and  explore.  Barlow  wrote 
an  account  of  this  voyage  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  from 
which  we  will  quote  in  presenting  the  principal  features  of 
the  expedition : 

"  On  the  2yth  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  redemption 
1584,  we  departed  the  west  of  England,  with  two  barques 
well  furnished  with  men  and  victuals,  having  received  our 
last  and  perfect  directions  by  your  letters,  confirming  the 
former  instructions  and  commandments  delivered  by  your 
self  at  our  leaving  the  river  of  Thames.  .  .  . 

"On  the  loth  of  May  we  arrived  at  the  Canaries,  and 
the  roth  of  June  in  this  present  year  we  were  fallen  with 


450 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORAriON 


the  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  keeping  a  more  southeasterly 
course  than  was  needful,  because  we  doubted  that  the  cur 
rent  of  the  Bay  of  Mexico,  disboguing  between  the  Cape 
of  Florida  and  Havana,  had  been  of  greater  force  than 
afterwards  we  found  it  to  be. 

"  On  the  2d  of  July  we  found  shoal  water,  where  we 
smelt  so  sweet  and  so  strong  a  smell,  as  if  we  had  been 
in  the  midst  of  some  delicate  garden,  abounding  with 
all  kinds  of  odoriferous  flowers,  by  which  we  were  assured 
that  the  land  could  not  be  far  distant.  And  keeping  good 
watch  and  bearing  but  slack  sail,  the  4th  of  the  same 
month  we  arrived  upon  the  coast,  which  we  supposed  to 
be  a  continent  of  firm  land,  and  we  sailed  along  the  same 
one  hundred  and  twenty  English  miles  before  we  could  find 
any  entrance  or  river  issuing  into  the  sea.  The  first  that 
appeared  unto  us  we  entered,  though  not  without  some 
difficulty,  and  cast  anchor  about  three  arquebuse-shots  within 
the  haven's  mouth,  on  the  left  hand  of  the  same;  and  after 
thanks  given  to  God  for  our  safe  arrival  thither,  we  manned 
our  boats,  and  went  to  view  the  land  next  adjoining,  and  to 
take  possession  of  the  same  in  the  right  of  the  Queen's 
Most  Excellent  Majesty,  as  rightful  Queen  and  Princess 
of  the  same,  and  after  delivered  the  same  over  to  your  use, 
according  to  Her  Majesty's  grant  and  letters  patent,  under 
Her  Highness's  great  Seal.  .  .  . 

"  We  passed  from  the  seaside  towards  the  tops  of  the  hills 
next  adjoining,  being  but  of  mean  height ;  and  from  thence 
we  beheld  the  sea  on  both  sides  to  the  north  and  to  the 
south,  finding  no  end  of  any  both  ways.  This  land  lay 
stretching  itself  to  the  west,  which  after  we  found  to  be  but 
an  island  of  twenty  miles  long,  and  not  above  six  miles 
broad.  Under  the  bank  or  hill  whereon  we  stood,  we  be 
held  the  valleys  replenished  with  goodly  cedar  trees,  and 
having  discharged  our  arquebuse-shot,  such  a  flock  of 
cranes  (the  most  part  white)  arose  under  us,  with  such  a  cry 
redoubled  by  many  echoes,  as  if  an  army  of  men  had  shouted 
altogether.  .  .  .  We  remained  by  the  side  of  this  island 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


451 


two  whole  days  before  we  saw  any  people  of  the  country. 
The  third  day  we  espied  one  small  boat  rowing  towards  us, 
having  in  it  three  persons. 

"The  next  day  there  came  unto  us  divers  boats,  and  in 
one  of  them  the  king's  brother  accompanied  with  forty  or 
fifty  men,  very  handsome  and  goodly  people,  and  in  their 
behavior  as  mannerly  and  civil  as  any  of  Europe.  His 
name  was  Granganimeo,  and  the  king  is  called  Wingina; 
the  country,  Wingandacoa;  and  now,  by  Her  Majesty, 
Virginia.  The  manner  of  his  coming  was  in  this  sort : 
he  left  his  boats  altogether,  as  the  first  man  did,  a  little 
from  the  ships  by  the  shore,  and  came  along  to  the  place 
over  against  the  ships,  followed  with  forty  men.  When  he 
came  to  the  place,  his  servants  spread  a  long  mat  upon  the 
ground,  on  which  he  sat  down,  and  at  the  other  end  of 
the  mat  four  others  of  his  company  did  the  like;  the  rest 
of  his  men  stood  round  about  him  somewhat  afar  off.  When 
we  came  to  the  shore  to  him,  with  our  weapons,  he  never 
moved  from  his  place,  nor  any  of  the  other  four,  nor  never 
mistrusted  any  harm  to  be  offered  from  us;  but,  sitting 
still,  he  beckoned  us  to  come  and  sit  by  him,  which  we 
performed;  and,  being  sat,  he  made  all  signs  of  joy  and 
welcome,  striking  on  his  head  and  his  breast  and  afterwards 
on  ours,  to  show  we  were  all  one,  smiling  and  making 
show  the  best  he  could  of  all  love  and  familiarity. 

"After  we  had  presented  this  his  [the  king's]  brother  with 
such  things  as  we  thought  he  liked,  we  likewise  gave  some 
what  to  the  others  that  sat  with  him  on  the  mat.  But  pres 
ently  he  arose  and  took  all  from  them  and  put  it  into  his 
own  basket,  making  signs  and  tokens  that  all  things  ought 
to  be  delivered  unto  him,  and  the  rest  were  but  his  servants 
and  followers.  .  .  .  And  after  a  few  days  overpassed,  he 
brought  his  wife  with  him  to  the  ships,  his  daughter,  and  two 
or  three  children.  His  wife  was  very  well  favored,  of  mean 
stature,  and  very  bashful.  She  had  on  her  back  a  long  cloak 
of  leather,  with  the  fur  side  next  to  her  body,  and  before 
her  a  piece  of  the  same.  About  her  forehead  she  had  a 


452 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


band  of  white  coral,  and  so  had  her  husband  many  times. 
In  her  ears  she  had  bracelets  of  pearls  hanging  down  to  her 
middle  (whereof  we  delivered  your  worship  a  little  bracelet), 
and  those  were  of  the  bigness  of  good  peas. 

"  The  soil  is  the  most  plentiful,  sweet,  fruitful,  and  whole 
some  of  all  the  world.  There  are  above  fourteen  several 
sweet-smelling  timber-trees,  and  the  most  part  of  their 
underwoods  are  bays  and  suchlike.  They  have  those  oaks 
that  we  have,  but  far  greater  and  better.  After  they  had 
been  divers  times  aboard  our  ships,  myself  with  seven  more 
went  twenty  mile  into  the  river  that  runneth  toward  the 
city  of  Skicoak,  which  river  they  called  Occam;  and  the 
evening  following  we  came  to  an  island  which  they  called 
Roanoke,  distant  from  the  harbor  by  which  we  entered 
seven  leagues  \  and  at  the  north  end  thereof  was  a  village 
of  nine  houses  built  of  cedar  and  fortified  round  about  with 
sharp  trees  to  keep  out  their  enemies,  and  the  entrance  into 
it  made  like  a  turnpike  very  artificially.  When  we  came 
towards  it,  standing  near  unto  the  water's  side,  the  wife  of 
Granganimeo,  the  king's  brother,  came  running  out  to 
meet  us  very  cheerfully  and  friendly.  Her  husband  was 
not  then  in  the  village.  Some  of  her  people  she  com 
manded  to  draw  our  boat  on  shore,  for  the  beating  of  the 
billows.  Others  she  appointed  to  carry  us  on  their  backs 
to  the  dry  ground,  and  others  to  bring  our  oars  into  the 
house  for  fear  of  stealing.  When  we  were  come  into  the 
outer  room  (having  five  rooms  in  her  house)  she  caused  us 
to  sit  down  by  a  great  fire,  and  after  took  off"  our  clothes 
and  washed  them  and  dried  them  again.  Some  of  the 
women  plucked  off  our  stockings  and  washed  them,  some 
washed  our  feet  in  warm  water,  and  she  herself  took  great 
pains  to  see  all  things  ordered  in  the  best  manner  she  could, 
making  great  haste  to  dress  some  meat  for  us  to  eat. 

"  After  we  had  thus  dried  ourselves,  she  brought  us  into 
the  inner  room,  where  she  set  on  the  board  standing 
along  the  house  some  wheat-like  fermenty,  sodden  venison, 
and  roasted,  fish  sodden,  boiled,  and  roasted,  melons  raw 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


453 


and  sodden,  roots  of  divers  kinds,  and  divers  fruits.  .  .  . 
We  found  the  people  most  gentle,  loving,  and  faithful,  void 
of  all  guile  and  treason,  and  such  as  live  after  the  manner  of 
the  golden  age.  The  people  only  care  how  to  defend  them 
selves  from  the  cold  in  their  short  winter,  and  to  feed 
themselves  with  such  meat  as  the  soil  affordeth;  their  meat 
is  very  well  sodden,  and  they  make  broth  very  sweet  and 
savory.  Their  vessels  are  earthen  pots,  very  large,  white, 
and  sweet;  their  dishes  are  wooden  platters  of  sweet 
timber. 

"  Beyond  this  island  there  is  the  mainland,  and  over  against 
this  island  falleth  into  this  spacious  water  the  great  river 
called  Occam  by  the  inhabitants,  on  which  standeth  a 
town  called  Pomeiock,  and  six  days'  journey  from  the  same 
is  situate  their  greatest  city,  called  Skicoak,  which  this  people 
affirm  to  be  very  great;  but  the  savages  were  never  at  it, 
only  they  speak  of  it  by  the  report  of  their  fathers  and 
other  men,  whom  they  have  heard  affirm  it  to  be  above 
one  hour's  journey  about. 

u  Into  this  river  falleth  another  great  river  called  Cipo,  in 
which  there  is  found  great  store  of  mussels,  in  which  there 
are  pearls ;  likewise  there  descendeth  into  this  Occam 
another  river  called  Nomopana,  on  the  one  side  whereof 
standeth  a  great  town  called  Chawanook,  and  the  lord  of 
the  town  and  country  is  called  Pgoneo.  This  Pooneo  is 
not  subject  to  the  king  of  Wingandacoa,  but  it  is  a  free 
lord.  Beyond  this  country  is  there  another  king,  whom  they 
call  Menatonon,  and  these  three  kings  are  in  league  with 
each  other.  Towards  the  southwest,  four  days'  journey,  is 
situate  a  town  called  Secotan,  which  is  the  southernmost 
town  of  Wingandacoa,  near  unto  which  twenty-six  years 
past  there  was  a  ship  cast  away,  whereof  some  of  the  people 
were  saved,  and  those  were  white  people,  whom  the  country 
people  preserved. 

"And  after  ten  days  remaining  in  an  out  island  unin 
habited,  called  Wocokon,  they,  with  the  help  of  some  of 
the  dwellers  of  Secotan,  fastened  two  boats  of  the  country 


454 


DISCO  VER  T  AND  EX  PL  OR  A  riON 


together,  and  made  masts  unto  them,  and  sails  of  their 
shirts,  and  having  taken  into  them  such  victuals  as  the 
country  yielded,  they  departed  after  they  had  remained  in 
this  out  island  three  weeks ;  but  shortly  after  it  seemed  they 
were  cast  away,  for  the  boats  were  found  upon  the  coast, 
cast-a-land  in  another  island  adjoining.  .  .  .  Adjoin 
ing  to  this  country  aforesaid,  called  Secotan,  beginneth  a 
country  called  Pomovik,  belonging  to  another  king,  whom 
they  call  Piemacum,  and  this  king  is  in  league  with  the 
next  king  adjoining  towards  the  setting  of  the  sun,  and  the 
country  Newsiok,  situate  upon  a  goodly  river  called  Neus. 
These  kings  have  mortal  war  with  Wingina,  king  of  Win- 
gandacoa ;  but  about  two  years  past  there  was  a  peace  made 
between  the  king  Piemacum  and  the  lord  of  Secotan,  as 
these  men  which  we  have  brought  with  us  to  England  have 
given  us  to  understand ;  but  there  remaineth  a  mortal  malice 
in  the  Secotans,  for  many  injuries  and  slaughters  done  upon 
them  by  this  Piemacum. 

"  Beyond  this  island  called  Roanoke  are  many  islands  very 
plentiful  of  fruits  and  other  natural  increases,  together  with 
many  towns  and  villages  along  the  side  of  the  continent, 
some  bounding  upon  the  islands,  and  some  stretching  up 
further  into  the  land. 

"  When  we  first  had  sight  of  this  country,  some  thought 
the  first  land  we  saw  to  be  the  continent;  but  after  we 
entered  into  the  haven,  we  saw  before  us  another  mighty 
long  sea,  for  there  lieth  along  the  coast  a  tract  of  islands 
two  hundred  miles  in  length,  adjoining  to  the  ocean  sea, 
and  between  the  islands  two  or  three  entrances.  When 
you  are  entered  between  them  (these  islands  being  very 
narrow  for  the  most  part,  as  in  some  places  six  miles  broad, 
in  some  places  less,  in  few  more),  then  there  appeareth 
another  great  sea,  containing  in  breadth  in  some  places 
forty,  in  some  fifty,  in  some  twenty  miles  over,  before  you 
come  unto  the  continent;  and  in  this  enclosed  sea  there  are 
above  a  hundred  islands  of  divers  bignesses,  whereof  one 
is  sixteen  miles  long,  at  which  we  were,  finding  it  a  most 


ENGLISH  EXPLORAriON  455 

pleasant  and  fertile  ground,  replenished  with  goodly  cedars, 
and  divers  other  sweet  woods,  full  of  currants,  of  fla,x,  and 
many  other  notable  commodities,  which  we  at  that  time 
had  no  leisure  to  view.  Besides  this  island  there  are  many 
as  I  have  said,  some  of  two,  of  three,  of  four,  of  five  miles, 
some  more,  some  less,  most  beautiful  and  pleasant  to  be 
hold,  replenished  with  deer,  conies,  hares,  and  divers  beasts, 
and  about  them  the  goodliest  and  best  fish  in  the  world,  and 
in  greatest  abundance.  .  .  ." 

In  return  for  his  success  in  finding  a  land  which,  for 
its  beauty  and  desirableness,  the  queen,  in  compliment  to 
herself,  named  Virginia,  Raleigh  received  the  reward  of 
knighthood.  It  was  many  years,  however,  before  a  settle- 
tlement  gained  permanent  and  prosperous  hold  on  the  shores 
of  Pamlico.  That  this  was  at  last  achieved  was  owing  to 
the  undiscouraged  perseverance  of  Raleigh,  who,  so  late  as 
1602,  wrote  of  his  Virginia:  "I  shall  yet  live  to  see  it  an 
English  nation."  In  the  meantime,  England's  hands  were 
filled  and  her  whole  attention  occupied  with  the  work  of 
securing  her  own  life  against  the  "Invincible  Armada," 
with  which  Philip  of  Spain  designed  with  one  crushing 
blow  to  destroy  his  rivals  on  the  high  seas  and  the  rene 
gades  from  the  Catholic  faith.  A  devastating  hurricane 
and  English  ships,  manned  by  sailors  whose  hearts  were  no 
less  stubborn  than  the  oak  of  which  those  vessels  were  con 
structed,  having  warded  off  this  blow  and  crippled  forever 
the  power  of  Spain,  England  found  herself  in  possession 
of  the  right  of  way  of  the  Atlantic  and  of  the  opportunity  to 
further  her  colonizing  enterprises  to  the  full  extent  of  her 
resources. 

The  expeditions  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  had,  so  far  at 
least,  resulted  in  training  mariners  who  were  now  prepared 
to  carry  the  work  of  exploration  on  to  manifest  success. 
In  1602,  Raleigh,  Henry  Wriothesley,  Earl  of  Southampton, 
and  others,  combined  in  the  equipment  of  the  Concord,  a 
small  vessel  designed  for  the  exploration  and  colonization 


456  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

of  "  the  North  part  of  Virginia."  It  was  from  the  Tower, 
where  he  had  been  imprisoned  through  the  machinations 
of  jealous  enemies,  that  Raleigh  was  compelled  to  watch 
this  new  undertaking.  But  no  misfortunes  of  his  own 
could  diminish  his  interest  in  what  he  had  chosen  as  the 
object  of  his  life.  It  is  also  pleasant  to  note  that  the  patron 
of  Shakespeare  was  a  partner  in  the  equipment  of  a  voyage 
from  which  was  to  date  the  history  of  Anglo-Saxondom 
in  North  America.  In  the  spring  of  1602,  Bartholomew 
Gosnold  sailed  in  the  Concord  from  Falmouth  with  thirty- 
two  persons,  the  majority  of  whom  were  to  be  left  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  as  colonists.  After  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks 
he  entered  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  probably  cast  anchor  in 
what  is  now  known  as  Salem  Harbor.  From  thence  he 
sailed  southward  to  a  point  of  land  which  a  great  catch  of 
fish  induced  him  to  designate  Cape  Cod.  Gosnold,  with  a 
few  others  of  his  men,  went  ashore  here,  and  they  were  the 
first  Englishmen  who  are  recorded  as  having  trod  the  soil 
of  Massachusetts.  They  followed  Nantucket  Sound  until 
they  came  to  Cuttyhunk  Island,  the  most  southwesterly  of 
the  Elizabeth  Islands.  Here  they  determined  to  establish  a 
settlement,  and  made  preparations  to  do  so,  but  lack  of 
provisions  and  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  natives  induced 
them  to  abandon  this  purpose  and  return  to  England. 
Though  seemingly  unsuccessful,  the  voyage  was  really 
fraught  with  great  results ;  for,  owing  to  the  reports  of  it 
which  were  circulated,  intense  interest  was  created  in  Eng 
land,  and  soon  other  voyagers,  with  better  equipment,  were 
on  their  way  to  the  shores  of  New  England.  In  April, 
1603,  tne  merchants  of  Bristol  sent  out  two  vessels  under 
the  command  of  Martin  Prynne,  who  explored  the  coast 
from  Maine  to  Martha's  Vineyard,  and,  after  loading  his 
ships  with  sassafras,  returned  with  a  good  report  of  the 
country.  In  1605,  George  Weymouth,  who  had  been  put 
in  command  of  a  vessel  owned  and  equipped  by  Lord 
Southampton  and  Lord  Wardour,  penetrated  fifty  or  sixty 
miles  into  Maine,  by  ascending  Penobscot  River. 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION 


457 


Hitherto  English  attempts  at  settlement  had  not  been 
successful  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  a  new  era  had  dawned; 
and  as  the  result  of  the  business-like  methods  adopted,  as 
well  as  of  the  pertinacious  courage  of  those  who  partici 
pated  in  those  ventures,  a  turning  point  was  reached.  Under 
charters  granted  by  King  James,  companies  were  formed 
which  were  granted  the  exclusive  right  to  explore  and 
occupy  the  lands  in  question.  The  first  of  these  was  the 
London  Company.  Its  principal  members  were  Sir  Thomas 
Gates,  Sir  George  Somers,  Captain  Edward  Maria  Wing- 
field,  and  the  Rev.  Richard  Hakluyt.  To  the  last  mentioned 
America  owes  an  inestimable  debt,  both  for  his  assiduous 
energy  in  promoting  the  work  of  exploration  and  for  his  con 
tributions  to  the  history  of  those  by  whom  it  was  directly 
accomplished.  There  was  also  the  Plymouth  Company,  the 
charter  members  of  which  were  George  Popham,  Raleigh 
Gilbert,  Thomas  Hanham,  and  William  Parker.  But  this 
company  was  short-lived  and  failed  to  accomplish  anything 
of  importance.  Gilbert  and  Popham  were  sent  out  by  it 
in  May,  1607,  with  two  vessels.  They  explored  the  Maine 
coast  and  endeavored  to  plant  a  settlement  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kennebec.  Misfortune,  however,  attended  their  efforts ; 
Popham  died,  their  stores  were  burned,  and  when  Gilbert 
was  recalled  to  England  by  the  death  of  his  brother  all 
were  ready  to  abandon  the  enterprise. 

The  time  had  come,  however,  when  the  great  discour 
agements  attending  transatlantic  ventures  could  no  longer 
postpone  the  thorough  exploration  and  initial  settlement 
by  Englishmen  of  those  lands  lying  between  French  and 
Spanish  possessions  in  America.  On  the  igth  of  Decem 
ber,  1606,  Christopher  Newport  sailed  from  London  with 
three  ships  provided  and  equipped  by  the  London  Company. 
He  was  in  command  of  the  Sarah  Constant,  while  the  cap 
tains  of  the  Goodspeed  and  the  Discovery  were  Bartholomew 
Gosnold  and  John  Ratcliffe.  With  them  went  Captain 
John  Smith,  the  most  romantic  figure  in  the  English  ex 
ploration  of  America.  His  early  life  had  been  filled  with 


4 5 8  DISCOVER T  AND  EXPLORA riON 

daring  exploits  and  strange  experiences  in  many  lands.  He 
was  enamored  of  adventure,  and  it  would  seem,  from  his 
own  narrative,  had  almost  exhausted  the  changes  and  chances 
of  the  Old  World,  when  Newport's  expedition  offered  him 
the  opportunity  to  seek  novel  experiences  in  the  New.  An 
affair  more  unpleasant  than  interesting  took  place  before 
the  ending  of  the  voyage.  Smith  quarrelled  over  some 
matter  with  Wingfield,  who  was  one  of  the  company,  with 
the  result  that  the  former  was  charged  with  mutiny  and  so 
reached  Virginia  in  irons.  The  little  fleet  arrived  in  Chesa 
peake  Bay  on  the  26th  of  April,  1607,  driven  thither  by 
storm.  On  the  I3th  of  May  they  reached  the  peninsula 
which  seemed  to  them  the  proper  situation  for  a  settlement. 
Smith  was  now  given  his  liberty,  but  he  was  refused 
admittance  to  the  governing  council  of  the  expedition,  of 
which  it  was  found  he  was  a  member  by  virtue  of  the 
sealed  orders  which  Newport  had  brought  from  England. 
The  present  site  of  Jamestown  was  selected  for  a  settle 
ment.  While  a  fort  was  being  built,  Smith,  who  was  not 
allowed  to  busy  himself  in  the  government  of  the  under 
taking,  started  with  Captain  Newport  and  a  party  of  the 
company  to  explore  James  River,  and  proceeded  as  far  as 
where  Richmond  now  stands.  On  this  expedition  they 
entered  into  friendly  relations  with  the  Indians,  the  Pow- 
hatans,  a  tribe  of  the  Algonquins.  On  their  return  to 
Jamestown,  however,  they  found  that  the  natives  in  its 
vicinity  were  of  a  different  tribe  and  disposition.  The 
settlement  had  been  attacked  and  blood  had  been  shed. 
This  increased  the  gloom  which  beset  the  outlook  of  the 
band,  who  were  left  with  scanty  provisions  when  Newport 
returned  to  England.  Previous  to  his  sailing,  John  Smith, 
having  demanded  a  trial  by  jury,  was  acquitted  of  all 
charges  and  given  his  position  in  the  council.  During  the 
months  of  starving  which  ensued  before  Newport  returned 
with  the  promised  supplies,  it  was  the  tact  and  enterprise 
of  Smith  that  kept  the  little  band  of  settlers  in  existence. 
They  were  obliged  to  subsist  on  the  shortest  of  rations, 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION  459 

and  those  of  a  miserable  sort.  As  Smith  wrote :  "  Had  we 
been  as  free  from  all  sins  as  gluttony  and  drunkenness,  we 
might  have  been  canonized  for  saints."  A  small  can  of 
boiled  barley  divided  among  five  men  was  their  daily  allow 
ance.  But  the  intrepid  spirit  of  Smith  could  not  rest  in 
idle  despair.  On  the  loth  of  December  he  went  on  an 
exploring  expedition  up  Chickahominy  River.  With  two 
Englishmen  and  two  Indian  guides  he  proceeded  as  far  as 
White  Oak  Swamp.  There  he  was  attacked  by  a  band  of 
Indians  led  by  the  brother  of  the  chief  of  the  Powhatans. 
They  captured  him  and  tied  him  to  a  tree  preparatory  to 
putting  him  to  death  by  torture,  when  his  active  wit  sug 
gested  the  possibility  of  diverting  their  purpose  by  the  exhi 
bition  of  a  pocket  compass.  This  instrument  excited  their 
wonder  and  had  the  effect  of  determining  them  to  carry 
Smith  to  Powhatan.  In  the  presence  of  that  chief  he 
would  have  suffered  death,  had  not  Pocahontas,  Powhatan's 
daughter,  taken  pity  on  the  white  stranger,  and  by  embracing 
him  saved  him  from  the  tomahawks  as  they  were  about 
to  fall  on  his  head.  It  has  been  the  custom  of  late  years  to 
discredit  this  romantic  story;  but  the  burden  of  disproof, 
which  rests  with  those  who  allege  its  falsity,  has  never  been 
adequately  sustained,  and  our  admiration  of  Pocahontas's 
magnanimity  may  still  with  justice  remain  unabated. 

John  Smith  was  released,  and  returned  to  Jamestown  in 
time  to  join  in  the  glad  welcome  which  was  awarded  New 
port,  who  on  the  same  day  arrived  from  England  with  sup 
plies  and  reinforcements.  In  the  summer  of  1608,  Smith 
continued  his  exploration  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  also 
ascended  the  Potomac,  the  Patapsco,  and  the  Susquehanna. 
In  September  he  was  made  president  of  the  council.  Yet 
the  London  Company  do  not  seem  to  have  been  satisfied 
with  his  labors;  for  they  demanded  that  he  send  them  a 
goodly  sample  of  the  gold  of  the  land,  or  else  find  his  way 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  With  an  intractable,  factious,  and 
incapable  band  of  men  for  his  support,  John  Smith  was 
likely  to  accomplish  little  that  would  give  pleasure  to  the 


460  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

company,  who  were  clamoring  for  a  return  for  their  expen 
diture.  But  he  struggled  on  until,  wounded  by  an  explo 
sion,  he  was  compelled  to  take  the  opportunity  to  return  to 
London.  George  Percy  was  left  in  command;  but  his  was 
a  nerveless  authority  at  a  time  when  only  the  best  judgment 
and  absolute  firmness  could  save  the  colony.  The  small 
stock  of  supplies  was  improvidently  consumed  before  win 
ter  had  well  set  in.  The  settlers  were  reduced  to  such 
desperation  by  hunger,  that  a  man  killed  his  wife,  and  lived 
on  her  body,  which  he  salted,  for  many  days.  A  band 
deserted  the  settlement  and,  stealing  a  pinnace,  took  to  the 
sea  as  pirates.  At  Smith's  departure  there  were  five  hun 
dred  persons  at  Jamestown ;  by  May  these  had  been  reduced 
by  starvation  and  disease  to  a  bare  sixty.  Then  that  miser 
able  remainder  determined  to  abandon  Virginia  and  endeavor 
to  reach  Newfoundland  in  their  pinnaces;  from  thence  they 
hoped  they  might  find  passage  to  England  at  the  close  of 
the  fishing  season.  On  the  yth  of  June,  1610,  they  drifted 
down  the  river  with  this  intention ;  but  in  Hampton  Roads 
they  met  the  longboat  of  Lord  Delaware,  the  Governor  of 
Virginia,  who  had  come  to  their  relief.  Virginia  was  saved ; 
and  from  this  moment  its  annals  pass  from  the  history  of 
exploration  into  that  of  colonization. 

With  his  departure  from  the  colony  in  September,  1609, 
John  Smith's  connection  with  Virginia  terminated,  and  we 
lose  sight  of  him  until  1614.  In  that  year  two  ships  were 
fitted  out  by  some  London  merchants  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  and  trading  in  North  Virginia,  as  New  England 
was  then  called.  One  of  these  vessels  was  commanded  by 
Smith  and  the  other  by  Captain  Thomas  Hunt.  They 
reached  land  on  April  3Oth,  at  Manhegin,  on  the  coast  of 
Maine.  During  this  voyage  Smith  extensively  explored 
New  England,  and  on  his  return  home  was  able  to  present 
to  Prince  Charles — afterward  Charles  I. — a  map  of  the 
country  between  Penobscot  and  Cape  Cod.  This  map 
included  "barbarous  names"  by  which  the  Indians  desig 
nated  the  points  noticed.  Smith  asked  Prince  Charles  to 


ENGLISH  EXPLORATION  461 

substitute  others  more  euphonious;  but  it  is  well  established 
that  he  himself  was  the  author  of  the  name  New  England. 
Hunt  was  left  behind  with  instructions  to  load  his  vessel 
with  fish,  which  he  was  to  dispose  of  in  Spain ;  but  with  the 
deliberate  object  in  view  of  rendering  the  Indians  so  hostile 
that  colonization  would  be  impossible,  he  decoyed  twenty- 
four  of  those  people  on  board  his  ship,  and,  sailing  with 
them  to  Malaga,  he  sold  them  as  slaves. 

On  his  arrival  in  Plymouth,  England,  John  Smith  gave 
such  an  account  of  the  resources  of  New  England  that 
several  merchant  adventurers  in  that  place  were  induced  to 
fit  out  another  expedition  to  that  country.  With  this,  con 
sisting  of  two  vessels,  the  explorer  sailed  in  March,  1615; 
but  a  storm  disabled  his  ships  and  he  was  obliged  to  put 
back  into  Plymouth.  He  sailed  again  on  the  24th  of  June, 
accompanied  by  sixteen  settlers  besides  the  crew,  but  was 
captured  by  a  French  pirate  and  carried  to  Rochelle,  where 
he  was  imprisoned  for  some  months. 

During  this  time,  in  order,  as  he  informs  us,  "to  keep 
my  perplexed  thoughts  from  too  much  meditation  of  my 
miserable  estate,"  John  Smith  wrote  an  account  of  his 
voyages  to  New  England.  In  this  the  country  is  described 
with  a  view  to  its  fitness  for  colonization.  The  close 
attention  which  Smith  gave  to  those  features  of  the  land 
which  commended  it  as  a  territory  for  permanent  settle 
ment  indicates  that,  notwithstanding  the  romantic  nature, 
of  his  career,  he  was  eminently  a  man  of  practical  affairs. 
An  interest  attaches  to  this  account — though  the  narrative 
itself  hardly  warrants  reproduction — in  that  it  is  the  first 
published  recommendation  of  New  England  as  being  suit 
able  for  colonization.  In  1616,  John  Smith  was  made 
Admiral  of  New  England.  But  he  had  no  direct  share  in 
the  movement  which  eventually  peopled  the  shores  of 
Massachusetts,  though  he  promoted  colonization  by  means 
of  his  many  publications. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

HENRY  HUDSON  AND  DUTCH  EXPLORATION 

THE  time  had  now  come  when  navigators  could  not  be 
satisfied  to  leave  unexplored  any  inlet  or  indentation  of  the 
Atlantic  seaboard.  With  the  desire  for  geographical  exacti 
tude  as  the  purpose,  and  the  hope  of  yet  finding  the  passage 
to  Cathay  as  a  strong  incentive,  the  prows  of  exploring 
craft  were  thrust  into  every  opening.  The  famous  river 
which  was  destined  to  be  the  gateway  to  the  continent  was 
no  longer  to  flow  in  its  unheralded  beauty  and  mystery:  its 
waters  were  to  receive  the  ship  of  the  skilful  sailor  who, 
in  the  service  of  a  Dutch  company,  was  to  give  his  name 
to  the  river  he  explored. 

There  are  two  errors  which  have  made  an  impression 
on  the  popular  mind  concerning  Henry  Hudson:  first,  that 
he  was  a  Dutchman;  and  secondly,  that  he  was  the  original 
discoverer  of  the  great  river  which  is  called  by  his  name. 
The  first  misconception  arises  from  the  correlated  facts  that 
his  baptismal  name  is  freqently  spelled  "  Hendrick,"  and 
that  he  explored  the  river  while  in  the  service  of  the  Nether 
lands.  As  is  unfortunately  the  case  with  many  of  the 
personages  whose  accomplishments  have  immortalized  them 
in  history,  extremely  little  is  known  of  Hudson's  early  life. 
His  contemporaries,  while  intensely  interested  in  his  per 
formances,  in  no  degree  anticipated  the  biographical  curiosity 
of  posterity.  Hence,  while  we  have  full  records  of  Hudson's 
voyages  by  various  hands,  there  is  nothing  certain  about  his 
birth  and  parentage,  or  his  career  previous  to  1607.  That 

463 


464  DISCOVERY  AND  EXPLORATION 

he  was  not  a  Dutchman  is  sufficiently  attested  by  the  fact 
that  he  could  not  read  the  language  of  Holland,  and  was 
unable  to  make  use  of  a  nautical  document  written  in  Dutch 
until  a  translation  of  it  had  been  made  for  him  into  Eng 
lish.  That  he  was  English  was  proved  by  the  fact  that 
King  James,  after  his  Hudson  River  voyage,  compelled  the 
explorer  to  return  to  the  English  service. 

In  May,  1607,  Hudson  made  a  voyage  in  search  of  the 
northwest  passage  to  the  Orient ;  and  in  the  following  year 
he  sailed  to  Nova  Zembla,  also  in  the  hope  of  finding  an 
opening  through  the  American  continent.  Those  jour 
neys  we  shall  notice  more  fully  in  the  succeeding  chapter. 
Though  he  had  failed  of  his  purpose,  the  fact  that  Hudson 
had  penetrated  further  north  than  any  other  navigator  was 
soon  noised  abroad,  and  more  than  one  government  sought 
to  obtain  his  services. 

The  people  of  Holland,  having  recovered  from  the  op 
pression  which  they  had  endured  under  Philip  II.,  were 
now,  under  the  States  General,  enjoying  an  era  of  remark 
able  national  prosperity.  Their  navy  was  strong  enough 
to  make  reprisals  on  Spanish  vessels  returning  from  the 
South  American  colonies,  and  they  had  seized  the  Portu 
guese  colonies  in  Java  and  Sumatra.  To  reach  the  Spice 
Islands  by  the  shortest  possible  route  was  therefore  a  greater 
desideratum  to  the  Dutch  than  to  any  other  nation.  The 
Dutch  East  India  Company,  a  powerful  joint  stock  asso 
ciation,  was  formed  in  1602,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
on  and  monopolizing  trade  in  the  East.  To  this  company 
a  northwest  passage  meant  very  greatly  increased  profits 
and  quick  returns.  Having  heard  of  Hudson's  promising 
attempts,  they  decided  that  in  no  man  could  they  more 
securely  place  their  hopes  of  finding  a  northwest  way  to 
the  Spice  Islands.  They  engaged  him  for  the  third  voyage 
which  he  made  across  the  Atlantic;  and  this  expedition 
resulted  far  more  advantageously — if  for  only  a  short 
period — for  the  people  of  Holland  than  did  the  northwest 
passage,  when  at  last  it  was  found,  for  mankind  in  general. 


Sir  Walter  Raleigh.      From  the  original  painting  h\  /ucharo,  now  in  the 
National  Portrait  Gallery,  London. 


HENRY  HUDSON  AND  DUTCH  EXPLORATION      465 

It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  more  than  one  or  two 
chance  navigators  had  entered  what  is  now  New  York  harbor 
and  possibly  sailed  some  distance  up  the  river  before  it  was 
ascended  by  Hudson.  Probably  as  early  as  1498,  the  bay 
was  discovered  by  Sebastian  Cabot.  As  we  have  seen, 
Verrazano  entered  the  harbor  of  New  York  in  1524.  His 
description  of  the  Narrows,  through  which  "a  very  large 
river,  deep  at  its  mouth,  forced  its  way  to  the  sea,"  is 
unmistakable;  and  when  he  draws  a  picture  of  "a  most 
beautiful  lake  three  leagues  in  circuit,"  over  which  Indians 
bedecked  with  feathers  sped  in  their  canoes,  we  are  forced 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  saw  the  southern  end  of  the  island 
of  Manhattan.  So  also  did  Estevan  Gomez  in  1525.  This 
Portuguese  pilot  was  most  enthusiastic  in  his  belief  in  the 
possibility  of  rinding  a  passage  to  the  "South  Sea"  some 
where  between  Newfoundland  and  Florida.  In  his  time 
he  was  considered  one  of  the  most  eminent  geographers  of 
the  day,  though,  owing  to  the  light  estimation  in  which,  for 
some  unaccountable  reason,  he  was  held  by  Peter  Martyr, 
he  has  been  somewhat  neglected  by  later  historians.  He 
went  over  much  of  the  ground  explored  by  Verrazano,  and 
left  a  far  more  intelligible  chart  than  did  the  Florentine.  In 
fact,  the  chart  made  by  Gomez  was  employed  as  the  basis 
of  nearly  all  the  maps  of  the  present  Maryland,  New  Jersey, 
New  York,  and  Rhode  Island  that  were  made  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  He  sailed  toward 
the  close  of  the  year  1524,  in  a  small  vessel  provided  by 
Charles  V.  We  have  it  on  the  authority  of  Oviedo  that  he 
made  extensive  explorations  between  the  fortieth  and  forty- 
first  degrees  of  latitude.  From  there  he  sailed  southward  to 
the  West  Indies.  As  it  was  the  main  purpose  of  his  voyage 
to  search  the  American  coast  for  a  strait  leading  to  the 
Pacific,  and  it  is  known  that  he  explored  the  land  in  the 
neighborhood  of  forty  and  forty-one  degrees,  it  is  impos 
sible  to  avoid  the  conclusion  that  he  must  at  least  have 
entered  New  York  Bay.  In  fact,  on  his  chart  he  drew 
several  rivers,  and  one  is  so  placed  with  certain  islands  at 


466  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

its  mouth  that  it  corresponds  with  the  Hudson.  At  any 
rate,  Spanish  seamen,  who  afterward  followed  in  his  course, 
knew  Hudson  River  as  Rio  de  Gomez. 

In  1542,  Captain  Jean  Allefonse,  who  sailed  with  Rober- 
val,  undertook  an  expedition  to  the  south,  starting  from 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  As  he  was  also  searching  for 
a  western  passage,  it  is  very  likely  that  he  penetrated  Hell 
Gate.  In  a  book  published  in  1559,  describing  his  voyages, 
he  writes  of  the  town  of  Norumbega,  and  also  of  the  river 
of  Norumbega,  which  he  says  is  salt  ninety  miles  from  its 
mouth.  In  Mercator's  map,  made  in  1569,  Norumbega  is 
placed  upon  the  island  of  New  York.  Allefonse  also  ex 
presses  the  belief  that  if  the  river  of  Norumbega  were 
followed,  entrance  would  be  found  into  the  St.  Law 
rence,  In  some  of  the  early  maps  the  Hudson  and  the 
St.  Lawrence  are  shown  as  thus  united. 

If  these  indications  are  correctly  interpreted  and  Alle- 
fonse's  Norumbega  was  in  reality  the  Hudson,  that  navi 
gator  may  be  believed  to  have  ascended  the  river  as  far, 
perhaps,  as  Poughkeepsie.  But  from  his  time  until  Henry 
Hudson's  voyage  there  is  no  record  of  its  having  been 
explored.  Consequently,  despite  the  fact  that  he  was  pre 
ceded  by  others,  fame  is  not  mistaken  in  awarding  its  laurels 
to  Henry  Hudson  as  the  explorer  of  the  river  which  bears 
his  name. 

He  set  out  on  this  memorable  voyage  on  the  4th  of 
April,  1609.  His  one  vessel,  the  Half  Moon,  was  of  only 
eighty  tons  burden,  and  his  crew  consisted  of  eighteen 
sailors.  In  returning  from  the  north  he  sailed  into  Penob- 
scot  Bay  on  the  i8th  of  July.  There  Hudson  was  obliged 
to  refit  with  a  new  mast.  From  Penobscot  he  went  to 
Cape  Cod  and  then  on  to  the  Accomac  peninsula.  With 
out  exploring  this  coast,  he  returned  northward  to  Delaware 
Bay,  which  he  reached  on  the  28th  of  August.  Discover 
ing  there  signs  of  its  being  the  mouth  of  a  great  river, 
and  as  he  was  looking  for  a  transcontinental  strait,  he  again 
weighed  anchor. 


HENRY  HUDSON  AND  DUTCH  EXPLORATION      467 

On  the  ist  of  September,  he  sailed  northward  and  sighted 
"land  from  the  west  by  north  to  the  northwest  by  north, 
all  like  broken  islands"  [Sandy  Hook],  along  which  he 
coasted  northeast  by  north.  He  found  many  shoals  at  the 
mouth  of  a  great  bay  which  he  judged  was  ten  leagues  dis 
tant  from  the  land  first  sighted,  and  the  land  lying  north  by 
east  from  the  bay,  and  ua  great  stream  out  of  the  bay." 
Far  to  the  northward  uwe  saw  high  hills."  Juet,  who 
accompanied  Hudson  and  wrote  an  account  of  the  voyage, 
says :  "  This  is  a  very  good  land  to  fall  with,  and  a  pleasant 
one  to  see." 

On  the  3d,  at  ten  in  the  morning,  Hudson  weighed 
anchor  and  stood  to  the  northward,  and  at  three  in  the 
afternoon  reached  "three  great  rivers."  He  "stood  along 
to  the  northernmost,"  but  did  not  enter  it,  as  there  were  but 
ten  feet  of  water  on  the  bar.  He  then  "  cast  about  to  the 
southward,"  and,  finding  plenty  of  water,  anchored  for  the 
night.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th,  after  sending  a  boat  to 
sound,  he  found  a  good  harbor  further  up,  and  entered  with 
the  ship.  The  boat  "went  on  land  [very  possibly  Coney 
Island]  with  our  net  to  fish."  While  the  vessel  was  lying 
to,  the  people  of  the  country  came  aboard,  "  seeming  very 
glad  of  our  coming." 

On  the  5th,  the  bay  was  sounded,  and  the  ship's  men 
landed  on  the  southern  shore,  where  they  saw  "great  store 
of  men,  women,  and  children,  who  gave  them  tobacco;" 
other  natives  came  aboard  the  ship,  some  dressed  in  feather 
mantles,  others  in  skins  and  furs;  hemp  was  also  brought 
by  some  of  the  women.  On  the  following  day  "our  master 
sent  John  Colman,  with  four  other  men  in  our  boat,  over 
to  the  north  side  to  sound  the  other  river,  being  four  leagues 
from  us.  They  found  by  the  way  shoal  water,  two  fath 
oms  ;  but  at  the  north  of  the  river  eighteen,  and  twenty 
fathoms,  and  very  good  riding  for  ships ;  and  a  narrow  river 
to  the  westward,  between  two  islands.  The  lands,  they  told 
us,  were  as  pleasant  with  grass  and  flowers  and  goodly  trees 
as  ever  they  had  seen,  and  very  sweet  smells  came  from 


468  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

them.  So  they  went  in  two  leagues  and  saw  an  open  sea, 
and  returned;  and  as  they  came  back,  they  were  set  upon 
by  two  canoes,  the  one  having  twelve,  the  other  fourteen 
men.  The  night  came  on,  and  it  began  to  rain,  so  that 
their  match  went  out;  and  they  had  one  man  slain  in  the 
fight,  which  was  an  Englishman,  named  John  Colman,  with 
an  arrow  shot  into  his  throat,  and  two  more  hurt.  It  grew 
so  dark  that  they  could  not  find  the  ship  that  night,  but 
labored  to  and  fro  on  their  oars.  They  had  so  great  a 
stream,  that  their  grapnel  would  not  hold  them. 

u  The  yth  was  fair,  and  by  ten  of  the  clock  they  returned 
aboard  the  ship,  and  brought  our  dead  man  with  them,  whom 
we  carried  on  land  and  buried,  and  named  the  point  after 
his  name,  Colman's  Point.  Then  we  hoisted  in  our  boat, 
and  raised  her  side  with  waste  boards  for  defence  of  our 
men.  So  we  rode  still  all  night,  having  good  regard  to 
our  watch." 

The  8th,  Qth,  and  loth  were  occupied  in  barter  with  the 
natives,  who  visited  Hudson's  ship  in  considerable  num 
bers,  and  in  making  soundings.  On  the  I  ith,  he  entered  the 
" other  river"  [the  Hudson]  and  pursued  his  course  for  three 
days,  being  visited  by  the  natives  without  any  show  of  fear, 
and  receiving  abundance  of  provisions  and  tobacco.  On 
"the  1 4th,  in  the  morning,  being  very  fair  weather,  the  wind 
southeast,  we  sailed  up  the  river  twelve  leagues,  and  had 
five  fathoms,  and  five  fathoms  and  a  quarter  less ;  and  came 
to  a  strait  between  two  points,  and  had  eight,  nine,  and  ten 
fathoms ;  and  it  trended  northeast  by  north,  one  league :  and 
we  had  twelve,  thirteen,  and  fourteen  fathoms.  The  river 
is  a  mile  broad :  there  is  very  high  land  on  both  sides  [near 
Peekskill] .  Then  we  went  up  northwest,  a  league  and  a 
half  deep  water.  Then  northeast  by  north,  five  miles; 
then  northwest  by  north,  two  leagues,  and  anchored.  The 
land  grew  very  high  and  mountainous.  The  river  is  full 
of  fish." 

By  the  iyth  the  Half  Moon  had  reached  a  point  which 
was  probably  near  Albany,  where  Juet  says  they  "found 


HENRY  HUDSON  AND  DUTCH  EXPLORATION      469 

shoals  in  the  middle  of  the  channel  and  small  islands,  but 
seven  fathoms  water  on  both  sides."  Since  his  early  con 
flicts  with  the  natives  Hudson  had  mistrusted  them,  but  his 
intercourse  had  been  of  a  friendly  character,  and  they  had 
bartered  freely.  On  the  22d,  Hudson  sent  a  boat  to  take 
soundings  higher  up,  and,  rinding  the  river  too  shallow,  he 
determined  to  return  on  his  course. 

"The  25th  was  fair  weather,  and  the  wind  at  south  a 
stiff  gale.  We  rode  still  and  went  on  land  to  walk  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  found  good  ground  for  corn 
and  other  garden  herbs,  with  great  store  of  goodly  oaks  and 
walnut  trees,  and  chestnut  trees,  yew  trees  and  trees  of 
sweet  wood  in  great  abundance,  and  great  store  of  slate  for 
houses  and  other  good  stones."  This  was  probably  near 
Catskill  Landing. 

The  journey  was  interrupted  by  daily  intercourse  with 
the  natives,  who  are  described  as  being  most  gentle  and 
lovable  in  their  conduct  and  free  in  their  hospitality.  On 
the  29th,  a  point  was  reached  that  corresponds  to  Beacon 
Hill,  below  Poughkeepsie ;  for  "the  high  land  hath  many 
points  and  a  narrow  channel.  ...  So  we  rode  quietly 
all  night  in  seven  fathoms  water." 

From  the  3Oth  of  September  till  the  4th  of  October, 
Hudson  continued  his  journey  back  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  meeting  with  opposition  from  some  of  the  natives. 
Juet  describes  the  conclusion  of  the  river  voyage  thus: 

"  The  4th  was  fair  weather,  and  the  wind  at  north-north 
west;  we  weighed  and  came  out  of  the  river,  into  which 
we  had  run  so  far.  Within  a  while  after,  we  came  out 
also  of  the  great  mouth  of  the  great  river,  that  runneth  up 
to  the  northwest,  borrowing  upon  the  northern  side  of  the 
same,  thinking  to  have  deep  water;  for  we  had  sounded  a 
great  way  with  our  boat  at  our  first  going  in,  and  found  seven, 
six,  and  five  fathoms.  So  we  came  out  that  way,  but  we 
were  deceived,  for  we  had  but  eight  foot  and  a  half  water: 
and  so  three,  five,  three,  and  two  fathoms  and  a  half.  And 
then  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight,  nine,  and  ten  fathoms. 


47° 


DISCO  VERY  AND  EX  PL  OR  A  riON 


And  by  twelve  of  the  clock  we  were  clear  of  all  the  inlet. 
Then  we  took  in  our  boat,  and  set  our  mainsail  and  sprit- 
sail,  and  our  topsails,  and  steered  away  east-southeast,  and 
southeast  by  east  off  into  the  main  sea :  and  the  land  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  bay  or  inlet  did  bear  at  noon  west 
and  by  south  four  leagues  from  us." 

As  Hudson  did  not  give  names  to  the  points  noted,  and 
Juet's  description  is  far  from  being  minute,  it  is  impossible 
to  follow  with  any  degree  of  certainty  the  progress  day  by 
day  up  and  down  the  river.  Many  students  have  endeavored 
to  do  so  by  computing  the  distances  given  in  the  log  and 
comparing  them  with  the  topographical  features  mentioned. 
But  in  many  cases  diverse  conclusions  are  reached.  When, 
however,  on  the  I4th  of  September,  we  find  the  Half  Moon 
in  a  strait  between  two  points  and  trending  northeast  by 
north,  and  the  river  above  a  mile  wide  with  very  high  land 
on  both  sides,  there  is  good  reason  to  suppose  that  Stony 
and  Verplanck  Points  are  those  mentioned  and  that  Hudson 
was  not  far  from  the  present  site  of  Peekskill.  On  the  i6th, 
when  the  natives  brought  aboard  Indian  corn,  pompions, 
and  tobacco,  they  were  near  that  part  of  the  river  which 
was  overlooked  by  the  city  of  Hudson.  Just  how  far  up 
the  Half  Moon  went  it  is  impossible  to  determine ;  but  it 
was  probably  not  far  from  the  present  site  of  Troy.  It  was 
here  that  Hudson's  men  overcame  the  natives  by  a  stratagem 
hardly  less  effective,  though  very  much  less  cunningly  de 
vised,  than  that  by  which  the  Greeks  overcame  the  inhabit 
ants  of  ancient  Troy.  Juet  and  the  others  plied  the  natives 
with  u  much  wine  and  aqua  <z;//<^,"  to  ascertain  "  whether 
they  had  any  treachery  in  them."  The  Indian  disposition 
seems  to  have  stood  the  test  better  than  did  the  native 
head. 

Hudson's  purpose  was  to  return  to  Amsterdam;  but  the 
Englishmen  in  his  crew  were  determined  to  land  at  Dart 
mouth.  From  there  he  sent  his  report  to  the  Dutch  Com 
pany,  in  whose  service  he  was  employed,  and  also  a  request 
that  he  be  again  equipped  for  a  northern  voyage.  But  King 


HENRY  HUDSON  AND  DUTCH  EXPLORATION      471 

James,  hearing  of  his  discovery,  determined  that  England 
could  not  afford  to  lend  so  valuable  a  seaman  to  Holland. 
Hudson,  therefore,  was  obliged  to  reenter  the  service  of 
the  Muscovy  Company. 

The  Half  Moon  having  been  sent  out  by  the  Dutch  East 
India  Company,  Hudson's  discovery,  according  to  the  ruling 
that  was  prevalent  in  those  times,  gave  Holland  the  title  to 
the  lands  bordering  on  the  river.  But  the  directors  of  the 
company  did  not  see  fit  to  avail  themselves  of  this  privilege. 
Spain  still  claimed  title  to  all  the  American  coast;  and  the 
Holland  burghers  were  as  yet  loath  to  rekindle  the  war  with 
his  Catholic  majesty.  But  private  merchants  of  Amster 
dam  began  a  trade  with  the  Indians  on  Manhattan,  and  by 
1613  a  tiny  settlement  was  begun,  over  which  floated  the 
Netherlands  flag ;  for  during  that  year  Captain  Argall,  re 
turning  to  Virginia  from  his  expedition  against  the  French 
at  Port  Royal,  sailed  through  the  Narrows,  and  finding  the 
Dutch  there  compelled  them  to  hoist  the  British  flag.  They 
hauled  it  down,  however,  as  soon  as  the  truculent  English 
man  was  out  of  sight.  In  1614,  the  States  General  adopted 
an  ordinance  which  gave  the  monopoly  of  trade  to  all  ex 
plorers  in  the  localities  which  they  might  discover.  This 
stimulated  Dutch  merchants  and  seamen  to  equip  and  under 
take  new  expeditions;  and  Adrian  Block,  Hendrick  Chris 
tiansen,  and  Cornelius  May  sailed  with  three  vessels  to 
Manhattan.  Block's  ship  was  burnt,  but  he  built  a  small 
yacht  forty-four  feet  in  length,  and  sturdily  set  about  the 
work  of  exploration.  He  discovered  East  River  and  gave 
the  whole  of  it  the  name  Hellcgat.  He  sailed  along  the 
Sound  until  he  came  to  Connecticut  River,  which  he  as 
cended  to  the  point  now  occupied  by  Hartford.  Round 
Cape  Cod  he  went,  and  a  memorial  of  his  voyage  remains 
in  the  name  of  Block  Island.  There  he  fell  in  with  Chris 
tiansen,  who  seems  to  have  been  exploring  the  same  waters. 
To  Captain  May,  who  had  gone  southward,  is  due  the 
name  of  one  of  the  capes  at  the  entrance  of  Delaware  Bay, 
which  he  explored. 


472  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

On  the  strength  of  the  discoveries  and  tradings  of  these 
seamen  the  Dutch  New  Netherlands  Company  was  formed, 
and  was  granted  a  monopoly  by  the  States  General.  This 
organization  was  succeeded  in  1621  by  the  West  India 
Company,  to  which  the  States  General  committed  the  right 
and  authority  to  colonize  and  govern  New  Netherlands. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE  SEARCH  FOR   THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE 

THE  story  of  the  search  for  a  northwest  passage  to 
Oriental  seas  covers  a  period  from  1497,  wnen  the  coast  of 
Labrador  was  explored  and  the  entrance  to  Hudson  Strait 
discovered  by  John  Cabot,  down  to  1854,  when  Captain 
MacClure  demonstrated  that  there  is  continuous  but  not 
navigable  water  between  Bering  Strait  on  the  west  and 
Melville  Sound  on  the  east.  To  recount  the  expeditions 
sent  forth,  the  seamen  engaged,  the  wealth  expended,  the 
courage  exemplified,  the  toils  endured,  the  suffering  in 
volved,  the  hopes  destroyed,  and  the  lives  sacrificed,  in  this 
fruitless  though  scientifically  interesting  quest,  would  re 
quire  many  volumes.  We  shall  do  no  more  than  refer  to 
some  of  the  earlier  explorers,  and  cite  from  the  narratives 
of  those  men  whose  voyages  marked  out  the  chief  geo 
graphical  features  of  the  frozen  north — Frobisher,  Baffin, 
and  Hudson. 

Eighty  years  had  elapsed  since  the  Cabots  had  failed  to 
find  their  way  to  China,  before  another  attempt  was  made 
by  the  first  named  of  these  men. 

Sir  Martin  Frobisher  was  a  mariner  trained  from  his 
youth  up.  In  his  early  years  his  kinsman,  Sir  John  Yorke, 
"  perceiving  him  to  be  of  great  spirit  and  bold  courage,  and 
the  natural  hardness  of  the  body,  sent  him  to  the  hot  coun 
try  of  Guinea."  It  was  probably  on  such  a  slave-hunting 


474  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

expedition  as  his  contemporary,  Sir  John  Hawkins,  was 
wont  to  make.  It  seems,  however,  that  Frobisher's  sea 
faring  enterprises  did  not  place  him  in  a  position  of  afflu 
ence;  for  in  after  years,  when  he  had  given  long  study  to 
the  problem  of  the  northwest,  and  had  come  to  the  con 
clusion  that  such  a  voyage  was  "easy  to  be  performed,"  he 
had  not  the  means  to  put  his  project  into  execution. 

A  curious  document  found  among  the  State  papers  of 
Elizabeth's  reign,  pertaining  to  the  year  1575,  furnishes  the 
data  on  which  the  men  of  that  time  believed  in  the  possi 
bility  of  discovering  a  passage  through  the  straits  out  of  the 
North  Sea  into  the  South  Sea. 

"  In  the  country  of  America  towards  the  north,  about  the 
sixty  degree,  there  is  an  elbow  of  a  land  lying  very  far  into 
the  sea,  which  is  called  the  head  of  Laborer.  And  on  the 
south  side  there  is  a  very  broad  bay  lying  towards  the  west, 
and  of  such  a  breadth  that  it  seemeth,  both  in  the  very 
entry  and  after,  to  be  a  great  sea,  for  it  lieth  out  about 
three  or  four  hundred  miles,  and  hath  very  many  islands, 
and  all  the  year  through  there  are  in  the  same  huge  heaps 
of  ice,  which  bay  is  called  Dusmendas. 

"  But  to  find  out  the  passage  out  of  the  North  Sea  into 
the  South  we  must  sail  to  the  sixty  degree,  that  is  from 
sixty-six  unto  sixty-eight.  And  this  passage  is  called  the 
Narrow  Sea,  or  Strait  of  the  Three  Brethren ;  in  which  pas 
sage,  at  no  time  in  the  year,  is  ice  wont  to  be  found*  The 
cause  is  the  swift  running  down  of  sea  into  sea.  In  the 
north  side  of  this  passage  John  Scolus,  a  pilot  of  Denmark, 
was  in  anno  1476. 

"The  south  side  also  of  this  passage  was  found  of  a 
Spaniard  in  anno  1541,  who  travelling  out  of  New  Spain 
with  a  certain  band  of  soldiers  was  sent  by  the  viceroy  into 
this  coast;  who,  when  he  was  come  to  this  coast,  found 
certain  ships  in  a  certain  haven  which  came  thither  out 
of  Cataya  laden  with  merchandise,  having  in  their  flags 
hanging  out  of  the  foreships  certain  birds  painted,  called 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST:  PASSAGE 


475 


alcatrlza;.      The  mariners  also  declared  by  signs  that  they 
came  out  of  Cataya  into  that  port  in  XXX.  days." 

It  was  on  these  grounds  that  Frobisher  went  to  Queen 
Elizabeth's  court  to  seek  aid.  The  narrative  of  his  first 
expedition  was  written  by  George  Best,  who  accompanied 
him,  from  which  we  quote: 

"  He  prepared  two  small  barques  of  twenty  and  five-and- 
twenty  tons  a-piece,  wherein  he  intended  to  accomplish 
his  pretended  voyage.  Wherefore,  being  furnished  with 
the  foresaid  two  barques,  and  one  small  pinnace  of  ten 
tons  burden,  having  therein  victuals  and  other  necessaries 
for  twelve  months'  provision,  he  departed  upon  the  said 
voyage  from  Blackwall,  on  the  I5th  of  June,  anno  domini 
1576. 

u  One  of  the  barques  wherein  he  went  was  named  the 
Gabriel,  and  the  other  the  Michael;  and,  sailing  northwest 
from  England,  upon  the  nth  of  July  he  had  sight  of  an 
high  and  ragged  land,  which  he  judged  to  be  Friesland 
(whereof  some  authors  have  made  mention),  but  durst  not 
approach  the  same  by  reason  of  the  great  store  of  ice  that 
lay  along  the  coast,  and  the  great  mists  that  troubled  them 
not  a  little.  Not  far  from  thence  he  lost  company  of  his 
small  pinnace,  which,  by  means  of  the  great  storm,  he 
supposed  to  be  swallowed  up  by  the  sea,  wherein  he  lost 
only  four  men. 

"Also  the  other  barque,  named  the  Michael,  mistrusting 
the  matter,  conveyed  themselves  privily  away  from  him,  and 
returned  home,  with  great  report  that  he  was  cast  away. 

"The  worthy  captain,  notwithstanding  these  discom 
forts,  although  his  mast  was  sprung,  and  his  topmast  blown 
overboard  with  extreme  foul  weather,  continued  his  course 
towards  the  northwest,  knowing  that  the  sea  at  length  must 
needs  have  an  ending,  and  that  some  land  should  have  a 
beginning  that  way;  and  determined,  therefore,  at  the  least 
to  bring  true  proof  what  land  and  sea  the  same  might  be 


476  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

so  far  to  the  northwestwards,  beyond  any  that  man  hath 
heretofore  discovered.  And  on  the  2Oth  of  July  he  had 
sight  of  an  high  land,  which  he  called  Queen  Elizabeth's 
Foreland,  after  Her  Majesty's  name.  And  sailing  more 
northerly  along  that  coast,  he  descried  another  foreland,  with 
a  great  gut,  bay,  or  passage,  dividing  as  it  were  two  lands  or 
continents  asunder.  There  he  met  with  store  of  exceeding 
great  ice  all  this  coast  along,  and  coveting  still  to  continue 
his  course  to  the  northwards,  was  also  by  contrary  winds 
detained  overthwart  these  straits,  and  could  not  get  beyond. 
Within  a  few  days  after,  he  perceived  the  ice  to  be  well 
consumed  and  gone,  either  there  engulfed  in  by  some  swift 
currents  or  indrafts,  carried  more  to  the  southwards  of  the 
same  straits,  or  else  conveyed  some  other  way;  wherefore 
he  determined  to  make  proof  of  this  place,  to  see  how  far 
that  gut  had  continuance,  and  whether  he  might  carry  him 
self  through  the  same  into  some  open  sea  on  the  back  side, 
whereof  he  conceived  no  small  hope;  and  so  entered  the 
same  on  the  2ist  day  of  July,  and  passed  above  fifty  leagues 
therein,  as  he  reported,  having  upon  either  hand  a  great 
main  or  continent.  And  that  land  upon  his  right  hand  as 
he  sailed  westward  he  judged  to  be  the  continent  of  Asia, 
and  there  to  be  divided  from  the  firm  [land]  of  America, 
which  lieth  upon  the  left  hand  over  against  the  same. 

"  This  place  he  named  after  his  name,  Frobisher's  Straits, 
like  as  Magellanus  at  the  southwest  end  of  the  world, 
having  discovered  the  passage  to  the  South  Sea  (where 
America  is  divided  from  the  continent  of  that  land,  which 
lieth  under  the  South  Pole),  and  called  the  same  straits 
Magellan's  Straits. 

"After  he  had  passed  sixty  leagues  into  this  aforesaid 
strait,  he  went  ashore,  and  found  signs  where  fire  had  been 
made. 

"  He  saw  mighty  deer  that  seemed  to  be  mankind,  which 
ran  at  him,  and  hardly  he  escaped  with  his  life  in  a  narrow 
way,  where  he  was  fain  to  use  defence  and  policy  to  save 
his  life. 


SEARCH  FOR  'THE  NORTHWESr  PASSAGE          477 

"  In  this  place  he  saw  and  perceived  sundry  tokens  of  the 
peoples  resorting  thither;  and,  being  ashore  upon  the  top 
of  a  hill,  he  perceived  a  number  of  small  things  floating  in 
the  sea  afar  off,  which  he  supposed  to  be  porpoises,  or  seals, 
or  some  kind  of  strange  fish;  but  coming  nearer,  he  dis 
covered  them  to  be  men  in  small  boats  made  of  leather; 
and  before  he  could  descend  down  from  the  hill  certain  of 
those  people  had  almost  cut  off  his  boat  from  him,  having 
stolen  secretly  behind  the  rocks  for  that  purpose;  where 
he  speedily  hasted  to  his  boat,  and  bent  himself  to  his  hal 
berd,  and  narrowly  escaped  the  danger,  and  saved  his  boat. 
Afterwards  he  had  sundry  conferences  with  them,  and  they 
came  aboard  his  ship,  and  brought  him  salmon  and  raw 
flesh  and  fish,  and  greedily  devoured  the  same  before  our 
men's  faces;  and,  to  show  their  agility,  they  tried  many 
masteries  upon  the  ropes  of  the  ship  after  our  mariners' 
fashion,  and  appeared  to  be  very  strong  of  their  arms,  and 
nimble  of  their  bodies.  They  exchanged  coats  of  seal  and 
bears'  skins,  and  such  like  with  our  men ;  and  received 
bells,  looking-glasses,  and  other  toys,  in  recompense  thereof 
again.  After  great  courtesy,  and  many  meetings,  our  mari 
ners,  contrary  to  their  captain's  direction,  began  more  easily 
to  trust  them;  and  five  of  our  men  going  ashore  were  by 
them  intercepted  with  their  boat,  and  were  never  since 
heard  of  to  this  day  again ;  so  that  the  captain,  being  desti 
tute  of  boat,  barque,  and  all  company,  had  scarcely  suffi 
cient  number  to  conduct  back  his  barque  again.  He  could 
now  neither  convey  himself  ashore  to  rescue  his  men  (if  he 
had  been  able)  for  want  of  a  boat ;  and  again  the  subtle 
traitors  were  so  wary,  as  they  would  after  that  never  come 
within  our  men's  danger.  The  captain,  notwithstanding, 
desirous  of  bringing  some  token  from  thence  of  his  being 
there,  was  greatly  discontented  that  he  had  not  before  appre 
hended  some  of  them;  and  therefore,  to  deceive  the  de 
ceivers,  he  wrought  a  pretty  policy ;  for  knowing  well  how 
they  greatly  delighted  in  our  toys,  and  specially  in  bells,  he 
rang  a  pretty  low  bell,  making  signs  that  he  would  give  him 


478  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  same  who  would  come  and  fetch  it;  and  because  they 
would  not  come  within  his  danger  for  fear,  he  flung  one 
bell  unto  them,  which  of  purpose  he  threw  short,  that  it 
might  fall  into  the  sea  and  be  lost ;  and  to*  make  them  more 
greedy  of  the  matter  he  rang  a  louder  bell,  so  that  in  the 
end  one  of  them  came  near  the  ship's  side  to  receive 
the  bell,  which,  when  he  thought  to  take  it  at  the  cap 
tain's  hand,  he  was  thereby  taken  himself;  for  the  captain, 
being  readily  provided,  let  the  bell  fall,  and  caught  the 
man  fast,  and  plucked  him  with  main  force  boat  and  all 
into  his  barque  out  of  the  sea.  Whereupon,  when  he 
found  himself  in  captivity,  for  very  choler  and  disdain 
he  bit  his  tongue  in  twain  within  his  mouth;  notwith 
standing,  he  died  not  thereof,  but  lived  until  he  came  in 
England,  and  then  he  died  of  cold  which  he  had  taken 
at  sea. 

"  Now  with  this  new  prey  (which  was  a  sufficient  witness 
of  the  captain's  far  and  tedious  travel  towards  the  unknown 
parts  of  the  world,  as  did  well  appear  by  this  strange  infi 
del,  whose  like  was  never  seen,  read,  nor  heard  of  before,  and 
whose  language  was  neither  known  nor  understood  of  any), 
the  said  Captain  Frobisher  returned  homewards,  and  arrived 
in  England  in  Harwich  the  2nd  of  October  following,  and 
thence  came  to  London,  1576,  where  he  was  highly  com 
mended  of  all  men  for  his  great  and  notable  attempt,  but 
specially  famous  for  the  great  hope  he  brought  of  the  pas 
sage  to  Cathay,  which  he  doubted  nothing  at  all  to  find  and 
pass  through  in  these  parts,  as  he  reporteth. 

"And  it  is  specially  to  be  remembered  that  at  their  first 
arrival  in  those  parts  there  lay  so  great  store  of  ice  all  the 
coast  along,  so  thick  together,  that  hardly  his  boat  could 
pass  unto  the  shore.  At  length  after  divers  attempts,  he 
commanded  his  company,  if  by  any  possible  means  they 
could  get  ashore,  to  bring  him  whatsoever  thing  they  could 
first  find,  whether  it  were  living  or  dead,  stock  or  stone, 
in  token  of  Christian  possession,  which  thereby  he  took  in 
behalf  of  the  Queen's  Most  Excellent  Majesty,  thinking 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORrHWEST  PASSAGE 

that  thereby  he  might  justify  the  having  and  enjoying  of  the 
same  things  that  grew  in  these  unknown  parts. 

"  Some  of  his  company  brought  flowers,  some  green  grass, 
and  one  brought  a  piece  of  black  stone,  much  like  to  a  sea- 
coal  in  color,  which  by  the  weight  seemed  to  be  some  kind 
of  metal  or  mineral.  This  was  a  thing  of  no  account  in  the 
judgment  of  the  captain  at  first  sight;  and  yet  for  novelty 
it  was  kept  in  respect  of  the  place  from  whence  it  came. 

"After  his  arrival  in  London,  being  demanded  of  sundry 
his  friends  what  thing  he  had  brought  them  home  out  of 
that  country,  he  had  nothing  left  to  present  them  withal  but 
a  piece  of  this  black  stone.  And  it  fortuned  a  gentlewoman, 
one  of  the  adventurers'  wives,  to  have  a  piece  thereof,  which 
by  chance  she  threw  and  burned  in  the  fire,  so  long,  that  at 
length  being  taken  forth,  and  quenched  in  a  little  vinegar, 
it  glistened  with  a  bright  marquesite  of  gold.  Whereupon 
the  matter  being  called  in  some  question,  it  was  brought  to 
certain  gold-fillers  in  London  to  make  assay  thereof,  who 
gave  out  that  it  held  gold,  and  that  very  richly  for  the 
quantity.  Afterwards  the  same  gold-finers  promised  great 
matters  thereof  if  there  were  any  store  to  be  found,  and 
offered  themselves  to  adventure  for  the  searching  of  those 
parts  from  whence  the  same  was  brought.  Some  that  had 
great  hope  of  the  matter  sought  secretly  to  have  a  lease  at 
Her  Majesty's  hands  of  those  places,  whereby  to  enjoin  the 
mass  of  so  great  a  public  profit  unto  their  own  private  gains. 

"  In  conclusion,  the  hope  of  more  of  the  same  gold  ore  to 
be  found  kindled  a  great  opinion  in  the  hearts  of  many  to  ad 
vance  the  voyage  again.  Whereupon  preparation  was  made 
for  a  new  voyage  against  the  year  following,  and  the  cap 
tain  more  specially  directed  by  commission  for  the  searching 
more  of  this  gold  ore  than  for  the  searching  any  further 
discovery  of  the  passage." 

This  second  voyage  was  undertaken  with  three  vessels — 
the  Aid,  the  Michael,  and  the  Gabriel.  They  sailed  on  the 
26th  of  May,  1577.  On  July  i6th,  they  reached  Frobisher 


480  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Strait,  which  had  been  discovered  on  the  first  expedition. 
Little  was  accomplished  or  attempted  in  the  way  of  ex 
ploration,  as  the  sole  commission  was  to  search  for  ore,  of 
which  they  found  a  plenty.  The  vessels  returned  to  Eng 
land  about  the  23d  of  September,  and  their  ladings  were  sub 
mitted  to  a  committee,  who  reported  "that  the  matter  of 
the  gold  ore  had  appearance,  and  made  show  of  great  riches 
and  profit;  and  the  hope  of  the  passage  to  Cataya,  by  this 
voyage,  was  greatly  increased."  Consequently,  another  ex 
pedition  was  ordered,  in  which  fifteen  vessels  sailed.  But 
little  came  of  it,  though  Captain  Best  says  that  he  discovered 
"  a  great  black  island,  where  was  found  such  plenty  of  black 
ore  of  the  same  sort  which  was  brought  into  England  this 
last  year,  that,  if  the  goodness  might  answer  the  great  plenty 
thereof,  it  was  thought  it  might  reasonably  suffice  all  the 
gold-gluttons  of  the  world."  The  last  we  hear  of  Frobisher's 
search  for  gold  in  the  northwest  is  in  a  letter  written  from 
the  Fleet  Prison  by  one  Michael  Locke,  who  had  subscribed 
liberally  to  the  equipment  of  the  vessels  for  these  voyages. 
He  complains  that  he  and  his  fifteen  children  are  irremediably 
ruined,  owing  to  the  failure  of  Frobisher  to  bring  home  five 
hundred  tons  of  "a  rich  red  ore,"  a  sample  of  which  had 
"yielded  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  a  ton."  Frobisher 
found  more  profit  aboard  the  Spanish  galleons  returning  from 
the  south,  in  helping  himself  to  which  he  followed  the  example 
of  his  piratical  contemporaries,  Hawkins  and  Drake.  Soon, 
however,  the  Spanish  Armada  gave  him  just  opportunity  to 
diminish  the  wealth  of  Philip  II.;  and  in  that  great  sea  fight 
his  bravery  won  for  England  as  much  advantage  as  his  name 
gained  renown  by  his  expeditions  to  the  north. 

But  the  main  project  of  discovering  the  much-desired 
passage  was  not  abandoned.  In  the  year  1585,  merchants 
of  London  and  Plymouth  joined  with  noblemen  of  the 
court  to  renew  the  attempt.  They  were  of  the  opinion 
that  the  cause  of  failure  hitherto  lay  in  the  fact  that  the 
projectors  had  allowed  themselves  to  be  diverted  from 
the  main  object  of  the  enterprise.  Two  barques  were 


James  Cook.      After  the  painting  by  John  Webber,  now  in  the  National 
Portrait  Gallery,  London. 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          481 

fitted  out,  the  Sunshine,  of  fifty  tons  burden,  with  a  crew 
of  thirty-three  persons,  and  the  Moonshine,  of  thirty-five  tons, 
with  nineteen  hands.  Among  these  were  four  musicians, 
who  were  considerately  engaged  that  the  voyagers  might  not 
be  without  cheer  amid  the  northern  gloom.  Captain  John 
Davis,  of  Devonshire,  was  given  the  command  of  these 
vessels,  and  sailed  in  the  Sunshine,  while  William  Brutum 
had  charge  of  her  consort.  They  sailed  from  Dartmouth 
on  the  yth  of  June,  and  on  the  2ist  of  July  they  were 
ofF  Cape  Farewell,  the  southern  extremity  of  Greenland. 
u  Coasting  this  shore  towards  the  south,"  Davis  observes  in 
his  account,  u  I  found  it  trend  towards  the  west.  I  still 
followed  the  leading  thereof  in  the  same  height;  and  after 
fifty  or  sixty  leagues,  it  failed  and  lay  directly  north,  which 
I  still  followed,  and  in  thirty  leagues  sailing  upon  the  west 
side  of  this  coast,  named  by  me  Desolation,  we  were  past 
all  the  ice,  and  found  many  green  and  pleasant  isles  border 
ing  upon  the  shore;  but  the  hills  of  the  main  were  still 
covered  with  great  quantities  of  snow.  I  brought  my  ship 
along  those  isles,  and  there  moored,  to  refresh  ourselves  in 
our  weary  travel  in  the  latitude  of  sixty-four  degrees,  or 
thereabout."  This  spot  was  named  by  him  Gilbert  Sound. 
The  vessels  remained  there  from  the  2Qth  of  July  till  the 
1st  of  August.  They  found  a  population  of  natives  who 
were  very  friendly;  and  when  the  sailors,  being  on  the 
shore  with  their  musicians,  struck  up  a  dance,  the  Eskimo 
joined  in  with  great  delight,  and  by  their  strange  and  ex 
uberant  antics  afforded  intense  amusement  to  the  English 
men.  Davis  was  now  in  the  straits  which  bear  his  name. 
He  crossed  this  water,  finding  it  "altogether  free  from  the 
pester  of  ice,"  and  came  to  Exeter  Sound,  as  they  called 
the  harbor  which  they  found  on  Cumberland  Island.  De 
parting  thence  on  the  nth  of  August,  they  came  to  the 
point  which  they  named  Cape  Mercy.  Rounding  this,  they 
entered  Cumberland  Bay;  and  Davis,  believing  that  he  had 
found  the  passage  of  which  he  was  in  search,  but  the  ap 
proach  of  wintry  weather  warning  him  that  it  would  be 


482  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

dangerous  to  delay  longer  on  those  coasts,  sailed  for  Eng 
land  with  this  news,  arriving  on  the  3Oth  of  September. 

On  the  yth  of  May,  1586,  Davis  again  sailed  from  Dart 
mouth  with  the  Sunshine  and  the  Moonshine,  to  which  were 
added  the  Mermaid,  a  vessel  of  one  hundred  tons,  and  a 
pinnace  of  ten  tons.  They  proceeded  direct  to  Gilbert 
Sound,  and  were  joyfully  welcomed  by  the  natives.  They 
proceeded  northward  until  they  came  to  land,  on  the  1st  of 
August,  in  latitude  66°  33'  and  longitude  70°  W.  Captain 
Davis  had  been  deserted  by  the  Sunshine  and  the  pinnace, 
and  at  this  point  the  Mermaid  also  forsook  the  expedition  ; 
the  courage  of  the  man  is  abundantly  made  evident  in  his 
observation,  "  in  one  small  barque  of  thirty  tons,  alone, 
without  further  company,  I  proceeded  on  my  voyage.'*  On 
the  28th  of  August  he  was  in  latitude  67°.  But  he  was 
again  forced  back  by  tempestuous  weather,  and  he  returned 
to  England,  still  cherishing  "  perfect  hope  of  a  passage." 

A  third  voyage  was  made  in  1587,  with  three  vessels,  in 
which,  on  the  24th  of  July,  Davis  reached  the  latitude  of 
72°  12',  where  he  says:  "At  midnight  the  compass  set  to 
the  variation  of  twenty-eight  degrees  to  the  westward." 
He  returned  to  England  on  the  I5th  of  September,  being 
able  to  report  that  he  had  "been  in  seventy-three  degrees, 
finding  the  sea  all  open,  and  forty  leagues  between  land  and 
land.  The  passage  is  most  probable,  the  execution  easy." 
The  result  of  Davis's  voyages  is  summed  up  by  Fox,  a 
later  explorer,  in  the  remark :  "  Davis  did,  I  conceive,  light 
Hudson  into  his  straits." 

In  the  year  1602,  "the  Worshipful  Fellowship  of  the 
Merchants  of  London  trading  into  the  East  Indies  "  entered 
into  a  contract  with  Captain  George  Weymouth,  stipulating 
that  the  latter  should  sail  toward  the  coast  of  Greenland 
and  "  shall  pass  on  forward  into  those  seas  by  the  Norwest, 
or  as  he  shall  find  the  passage  best  to  lie  towards  the  parts  or 
kingdom  of  Cataya  or  China  or  the  back  side  of  America." 
Weymouth  gave  his  bond  not  to  return  until  he  had  spent 
at  least  one  year  in  this  attempt.  If  he  succeeded,  his 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          483 

reward  was  to  be  "the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds  of 
lawful  English  money  without  fraud  or  cozen."  In  case 
of  failure,  he  forfeited  all  right  to  either  reward  or  wages. 
Weymouth  sailed  out  of  the  Thames  on  the  2d  of  May, 
1602.  He  reached  Cape  Desolation  on  the  southeast  coast 
of  Greenland,  and  there  his  crew,  one  and  all,  mutinied; 
and  despite  all  he  could  do,  they  "bore  up  the  helm  for 
England."  The  reason  given  by  the  men  for  this  conduct 
was  that  if  they  wintered  in  Davis  Strait  the  ice  would 
not  allow  them  to  proceed  until  May,  by  which  time  they 
could  arrive  from  England  better  furnished  with  men  and 
provisions,  having  in  the  meantime  spent  the  winter  com 
fortably  at  home. 

The  next  to  assail  the  north  was  the  redoubtable  Captain 
Henry  Hudson,  whose  most  important  discovery  we  have 
already  described.  He  sailed  from  Gravesend,  in  the  Dis 
covery,  on  the  i  yth  of  April,  1610;  and  reached  Frobisher 
Strait  by  the  9th  of  June.  Instead  of  making  his  entrance 
there,  he  sailed  westward,  thus  discovering  the  strait  to 
which  his  name  has  been  given.  He  emerged  into  Hudson 
Bay  on  the  3d  of  August.  From  this  time  his  journal 
ceases,  and  we  have  only  the  summary  given  by  Abacuk 
Prickett :  "  Having  spent  three  months  in  a  labyrinth  with 
out  end,  being  now  the  last  of  October,  we  went  down  to 
the  east,  to  the  bottom  of  the  Bay;  but  returned  without 
speeding  of  what  we  went  for.  The  next  day  we  went  to 
the  south  and  southwest,  and  found  a  place  whereunto  we 
brought  our  ship  and  haled  her  aground :  and  this  was  the 
first  of  November.  By  the  loth  thereof  we  were  frozen 
in."  How  the  long  winter  was  spent  on  this  desolate  shore 
we  have  nothing  more  than  Prickett's  extremely  brief 
narrative  to  show.  That  it  was  far  from  pleasant  or  har 
monious  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  fact  that  in  June, 
when  they  were  again  able  to  float  their  vessel,  a  mutiny 
broke  out  among  the  crew,  which  ended  in  their  casting 
Hudson  and  a  number  of  their  sick  comrades  into  an  open 
boat,  and  then  cutting  them  adrift.  This  being  the  most 


484  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

important  discovery  hitherto  made  in  polar  seas,  we  will 
include  in  our  pages  the  all  too  scanty  journal  of  the 
voyage  kept  by  Hudson  to  the  3d  of  August. 

"The  seventeenth  of  April,  1610,  we  brake  ground,  and 
went  down  from  Saint  Katharine's  Poole,  and  fell  down  to 
Blackwallj  and  so  plied  down  with  the  ships  to  Lee,  which 
was  the  two  and  twentieth  day. 

"The  two  and  twentieth,  I  caused  Master  Coleburne  to 
be  put  into  a  pinke  bound  for  London,  with  my  letter  to  the 
Adventurers,  importing  the  reason  wherefore  I  so  put  him 
out  of  the  ship,  and  so  plied  forth. 

"The  second  of  May,  the  wind  southerly,  at  even  we 
were  athwart  of  Flamborough  Head. 

"The  fifth,  we  were  at  the  isles  of  Orkney,  and  here  I 
set  the  north  end  of  the  needle,  and  the  north  of  the  fly 
all  one. 

"  The  sixth,  we  were  in  the  latitude  of  fifty-nine  degrees, 
twenty-two  minutes,  and  there  perceived  that  the  north  end 
of  Scotland,  Orkney,  and  Shetland  are  not  so  northerly  as 
is  commonly  set  down.  The  eighth  day  we  saw  Faroe 
Islands,  in  the  latitude  of  sixty-two  degrees,  twenty-four 
minutes.  The  eleventh  day  we  fell  with  the  eastern  part 
of  Iceland,  and  then  plying  along  the  southern  part  of  the 
land  we  came  to  Westmoney,  being  the  fifteenth  day,  and 
still  plied  about  the  main  island  until  the  last  of  May,  with 
contrary  winds,  and  we  got  some  fowls  of  divers  sorts. 

"  The  first  day  of  June  we  put  to  sea  out  of  an  harbor, 
in  the  westernmost  part  of  Iceland,  and  so  plied  to  the  west 
ward  in  the  latitude  of  sixty-six  degrees,  thirty-four  minutes, 
and  the  second  day  plied  and  found  ourselves  in  sixty-five 
degrees,  fifty-seven  minutes,  with  little  wind  easterly. 

"  The  third  day  we  found  ourselves  in  sixty-five  degrees, 
thirty  minutes,  with  wind  at  northeast;  a  little  before  this 
we  sailed  near  some  ice. 

"  The  fourth  day  we  saw  Greenland  over  the  ice  per 
fectly,  and  this  night  the  sun  went  down  due  north,  and 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          485 

rose  north-northeast.  So  plying  the  fifth  day  we  were  in 
sixty-five  degrees,  still  encumbered  with  much  ice,  which 
hung  upon  the  coast  of  Greenland. 

"  The  ninth  day  we  were  off  Frobisher's  Straits,  with  the 
wind  northerly,  and  plied  unto  the  southwestwards  until 
the  fifteenth  day. 

"  The  fifteenth  day  we  were  in  sight  of  the  land,  in  lati 
tude  fifty-nine  degrees,  twenty-seven  minutes,  which  was 
called  by  Captain  John  Davis  c  Desolation,'  and  found  the 
error  of  the  former  laying  down  of  that  land:  and  then 
running  to  the  northwestward  until  the  twentieth  day,  we 
found  the  ship  in  sixty  degrees,  forty-two  minutes,  and  saw 
much  ice,  and  many  ripplings  or  overfalls,  and  a  strong 
stream  setting  from  east-southeast  to  west-northwest. 

"The  one  and  twenty,  two  and  twenty,  and  three  and 
twenty  days,  with  the  wind  variable,  we  plied  to  the  north 
westward  in  sight  of  much  ice,  into  the  height  of  sixty-two 
degrees,  twenty-nine  minutes. 

"The  four  and  twenty  and  five  and  twenty  days,  sailing 
to  the  westward  about  midnight,  we  saw  land  north,  which 
was  suddenly  lost  again.  So  we  ran  still  to  the  westward 
in  sixty-two  degrees,  seventeen  minutes. 

"  The  fifth  of  July  we  plied  up  upon  the  southern  side, 
troubled  with  much  ice  in  seeking  the  shore  until  the  fifth 
day  of  July,  and  we  observed  that  day  in  fifty-nine  degrees, 
sixteen  minutes.  Then  we  plied  off  the  shore  again,  until 
the  eighth  day,  and  then  found  the  height  of  the  pole  in 
sixty  degrees,  no  minutes.  Here  we  saw  the  land  from  the 
northwest  by  west,  half  northerly,  unto  the  southwest  by 
west,  covered  wi^h  snow,  a  champaign  land,  and  called  it 
Desire  Provoketh. 

"We  still  plied  up  the  westward,  as  the  land  and  ice 
would  suffer,  until  the  eleventh  day;  when  fearing  a  storm, 
we  anchored  by  three  rocky  islands  in  uncertain  depth, 
between  two  and  nine  fathoms;  and  found  it  an  harbor 
unsufficient  by  reason  of  sunken  rocks,  one  of  which  was 
next  morning  two  fathoms  above  water.  We  called  them 


486  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

the  Isles  of  God's  Mercies.  The  water  floweth  here  better 
than  four  fathoms.  The  flood  cometh  from  the  north 
flowing  eight  the  change  day.  The  latitude  in  this  place 
is  sixty-two  degrees,  nine  minutes.  Then  plying  to  the 
southwestward  the  sixteenth  day,  we  were  in  the  latitude 
of  fifty-eight  degrees,  fifty  minutes,  but  found  ourselves 
embayed  with  land,  and  had  much  ice :  and  we  plied  to  the 
northwestward  until  the  nineteenth  day,  and  then  we  found 
by  observation  the  height  of  the  pole  in  sixty-one  degrees, 
twenty-four  minutes,  and  saw  the  land,  which  I  named 
Hold  with  Hope.  Hence  I  plied  to  the  northwestward  still, 
until  the  one  and  twentieth  day,  with  the  wind  variable. 
Here  I  found  the  sea  more  grown  than  any  we  had  since 
we  left  for  England. 

u  The  three  and  twentieth  day,  by  observation  the  height 
of  the  pole  was  sixty-one  degrees,  thirty-three  minutes. 
The  five  and  twentieth  day  we  saw  the  land,  and  named  it 
Magna  Britannia.  The  six  and  twentieth  day  we  observed 
and  found  the  latitude  in  sixty-two  degrees,  forty-four  min 
utes.  The  eight  and  twentieth  day  we  were  in  the  height 
of  sixty-three  degrees,  ten  minutes,  and  plied  southerly  of 
the  west.  The  one  and  thirtieth  day,  plying  to  the  west 
ward,  at  noon  we  found  ourselves  in  sixty-two  degrees, 
twenty-four  minutes. 

"  The  first  of  August  we  had  sight  of  the  northern  shore, 
from  the  north  by  east  to  the  west  by  south  ofF  us:  the 
north  part  twelve  leagues,  and  the  western  part  twenty 
leagues  from  us :  and  we  had  no  ground  there  at  one  hun 
dred  and  eighty  fathoms.  And  I  think  I  saw  land  on  the  sun 
side,  but  could  not  make  it  perfectly  bearing  east-northeast. 
Here  I  found  the  latitude  sixty-two  degrees,  fifty  minutes. 

"  The  second  day  we  had  sight  of  a  fair  headland  on  the 
northern  shore,  six  leagues  ofF,  which  I  called  Salisbury's 
Fore-land:  we  ran  from  them  west-southwest,  fourteen 
leagues :  in  the  midway  of  which  we  were  suddenly  come 
into  a  great  and  whirling  sea,  whether  caused  by  meeting 
of  two  streams  or  an  overfall,  I  know  not.  Thence  sailing 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          487 

west  and  by  south  seven  leagues  farther,  we  were  in  the 
mouth  of  a  strait  and  sounded,  and  no  ground  at  one  hun 
dred  fathoms:  the  strait  being  there  not  above  two  leagues 
broad,  in  the  passage  in  this  western  part :  which  from  the 
eastern  part  of  Fretum  Davis,  is  distant  two  hundred  and 
fifty  leagues  thereabouts. 

"The  third  day  we  put  through  the  narrow  passage,  after 
our  men  had  been  on  land,  which  had  well  observed  there, 
that  the  flood  did  come  from  the  north,  flowing  by  the  shore 
five  fathoms.  The  head  of  this  entrance  on  the  south  side 
I  named  Cape  Worsenholme;  and  the  head  on  the  north 
western  shore  I  called  Cape  Diggs.  After  we  had  sailed 
with  an  easterly  wind,  west  and  by  south  ten  leagues,  the 
land  fell  away  to  the  southward,  and  the  other  isles,  and  land 
left  us  to  the  westward.  Then  I  observed  and  found  the 
ship  at  noon  in  sixty-one  degrees,  twenty  minutes,  and  a 
sea  to  the  westward." — (An  abstract  of  the  journal  of  Master 
Henry  Hudson,  for  the  discovery  of  the  northwest  passage, 
begun  the  seventeenth  of  April,  1610,  ended  with  his  end,  being 
treacherously  exposed  by  some  of  the  company?) 

During  the  years  1612—1614,  the  exploration  of  Hudson 
Bay  was  continued  by  Captains  Button,  Bylot,  and  Baffin, 
the  result  being  that  the  bay,  or  sea  as  it  might  for  extent 
be  more  properly  called,  was  fairly  well  delineated,  and  the 
conclusion  was  reached  that  it  gave  no  promise  of  a  north 
west  passage.  Baffin,  however,  was  not  less  firmly  con 
vinced  that  such  a  passage  really  existed;  and  in  the  year 
1616  we  find  him  again  sailing  northward,  as  pilot  of  the 
good  ship  Discovery.  Sir  Thomas  Smith,  Sir  Dudley  Digges, 
Alderman  Jones,  and  the  others  by  whom  this  expedition  was 
sent  out,  directed  Baffin  to  keep  along  the  coast  of  Green 
land  and  up  Davis  Strait  until  he  came  to  the  eightieth 
degree  of  latitude,  unless  sooner  prevented  by  land.  Then 
he  was  to  shape  his  course  west  and  southerly  to  the  sixtieth 
degree  of  latitude.  When  he  fell  in  with  the  land  of  Yedzo, 
he  was  to  sail  southward  at  his  own  discretion,  it  being 


488  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

hoped  that  he  would  go  so  far  south  that  he  would  touch  the 
north  part  of  Japan.  The  Discovery  set  sail  from  Gravesend 
on  the  26th  of  March,  1616,  with  seventeen  persons  aboard, 
and  sighted  land  first  in  Davis  Strait,  in  latitude  65°  20'  N. 
How  Baffin  fared,  and  how,  though  he  did  not  reach  Yedzo, 
or  Japan,  he  discovered  the  bay  called  by  his  name,  and 
which  in  reality  leads  into  the  northwest  passage,  the  fol 
lowing  account  of  his  fifth  recorded  voyage,  written  by 
himself,  will  best  describe: 

"  On  the  fourteenth  of  May,  in  the  forenoon,  then  six 
of  the  people,  being  a  fishing,  came  to  us,  to  whom  we 
gave  small  pieces  of  iron,  they  keeping  us  company,  being 
very  joyful,  supposing  we  had  intended  to  come  to  anchor; 
but  when  they  saw  us  stand  off  from  the  shore,  they  fol 
lowed  us  a  while,  and  then  went  away  discontented,  to  our 
seeming. 

"  We  prosecuting  our  voyage,  were  loth  to  come  to  an 
anchor  as  yet,  although  the  wind  was  contrary,  but  still 
plied  to  the  northward,  until  we  came  into  70°  20';  then 
we  came  to  an  anchor  in  a  fair  sound  (near  the  place  Master 
Davis  called  London  Coast).  The  twentieth  of  May  at 
evening,  the  people  espying  us,  fled  away  in  their  boats, 
getting  on  rocks,  wondering  and  gazing  at  us,  but  after  this 
night  we  saw  them  no  more,  leaving  many  dogs  running  to 
and  fro  on  the  island.  .  .  . 

"  By  the  thirtieth  day,  in  the  afternoon,  we  came  fair  by 
Hope  Sanderson,  the  farthest  land  Master  Davis  was  at, 
lying  between  72°  and  73°;  and  that  evening,  by  a  north 
sun,  we  came  to  much  ice,  which  we  put  into,  plying  all 
the  next  day  to  get  through  it. 

"The  first  of  June,  we  were  clear  of  the  ice  before 
named,  and  not  far  from  shore,  the  wind  blowing  very  hard 
at  north-northeast,  then  we  put  in  among  divers  islands; 
the  people  seeing  us,  fled  away  in  all  haste,  leaving  their 
tents  behind,  and  upon  a  small  rock  they  hid  two  young 
maids  or  women.  Our  ship  riding  not  far  off,  we  espied 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          489 

them,  to  whom  our  master,  with  some  other  of  our  com 
pany,  went  in  the  boat,  they  making  signs  to  be  carried  to 
the  island,  where  their  tents  were  close  adjoining.  When 
they  came  thither  they  found  two  old  women  more,  the  one 
very  old,  to  our  estimation  little  less  than  fourscore,  the 
other  not  so  old.  The  next  time  we  went  on  shore,  there 
was  another  woman  with  a  child  at  her  back,  who  had  hid 
herself  among  the  rocks,  till  the  other  had  told  her  how  we 
had  used  them,  in  giving  them  pieces  of  iron  and  such  like, 
which  they  highly  esteem;  in  change  thereof  they  gave  us 
seal  skins ;  other  riches  they  had  none,  save  dead  seals,  and 
fat  of  seals,  some  of  which  fat  or  blubber  afterward  we  car 
ried  aboard.  The  poor  women  were  very  diligent  to  carry 
it  to  the  water  side,  to  put  into  our  cask,  making  show  that 
the  men  were  over  at  the  main,  and  at  another  small  island 
something  more  eastward.  Then  making  signs  to  them 
that  we  would  show  them  our  ship,  and  set  them  where  the 
men  were,  the  four  youngest  came  into  our  boat;  when 
they  were  aboard,  they  much  wondered  to  see  our  ship  and 
furniture;  we  gave  them  of  our  meat,  which  they  tasting, 
would  not  eat.  Then  two  of  them  were  set  on  the  island, 
where  they  supposed  the  men  to  be;  the  other  two  were 
carried  to  their  tents  again.  Those  that  went  to  seek  the 
men  could  not  find  them,  but  came  as  near  the  ship  as  they 
could,  and  at  evening  we  set  them  over  to  the  other. 

"This  place  we  called  Women's  Island;  it  lieth  in  the 
latitude  of  72°  45 r;  here  the  flood  cometh  from  the  south 
ward  at  neap  tides;  the  water  ariseth  but  six  or  seven  foot, 
and  a  south-southeast  moon  maketh  a  full  sea.  The  inhabit 
ants  are  very  poor,  living  chiefly  on  the  flesh  of  seals,  dried, 
which  they  eat  raw;  with  the  skins  they  clothe  themselves, 
and  also  make  coverings  for  their  tents  and  boats,  which  they 
dress  very  well.  The  women,  in  their  apparel,  are  different 
from  the  men,  and  are  marked  in  the  face  with  divers  black 
strokes  or  lines,  the  skin  being  razed  with  some  sharp  in 
strument  when  they  are  young,  and  black  color  put  therein, 
that  by  no  means  it  will  be  gotten  forth. 


490 


DISCO  FER  T  AND  EX  PL  ORA  TION 


"  Upon  the  fourth  day  we  set  sail  from  thence,  having 
very  fair  weather,  although  the  winds  were  contrary,  and 
plied  to  and  from  between  the  ice  and  the  land,  being  as  it 
were  a  channel  of  seven  or  eight  leagues  broad :  then  on 
the  ninth  day,  being  in  the  latitude  of  74°  4',  and  much 
pestered  with  ice,  near  unto  three  small  islands,  lying  eight 
miles  from  the  shore,  we  came  to  anchor  near  one  of 
them. 

"The  tenth  day  we  set  sail  from  thence,  and  stood 
through  much  ice  to  the  westward,  to  try  if  that  further 
from  shore  we  might  proceed;  but  this  attempt  was  soon 
quailed,  for  the  more  ice  we  went  through,  the  thicker  it 
was,  till  we  could  see  no  place  to  put  in  the  ship's  head. 

"Seeing  that  as  yet  we  could  not  proceed,  we  determined 
to  stand  in  for  the  shore,  there  to  abide  some  few  days,  till 
such  time  as  the  ice  were  more  wasted  and  gone  (for  we 
plainly  saw  that  it  consumed  very  fast) ;  with  this  resolution 
we  stood  in,  and  came  to  anchor  among  many  islands,  in 
the  latitude  of  73°  45%  on  the  twelfth  day,  at  night.  Here 
we  continued  two  days  without  show  or  sign  of  any  people ; 
till,  on  the  fifteenth  day  in  the  morning,  about  one  o'clock, 
there  came  two  and  forty  of  the  inhabitants  in  their  boats 
or  canoes,  and  gave  us  seal  skins,  and  many  pieces  of  the 
bone  or  horn  of  the  sea  unicorn,  and  showed  us  divers 
pieces  of  sea  morse's  teeth,  making  signs  that  to  the  north 
ward  were  many  of  them;  in  exchange  whereof  we  gave 
them  small  pieces  of  iron,  glass  beads,  and  such  like.  At 
four  several  times  the  people  came  to  us,  and  at  each  time 
brought  us  of  the  aforesaid  commodities,  by  reason  thereof 
we  called  this  place  Horn  Sound. 

"The  first  of  July  we  were  come  into  an  open  sea,  in 
the  latitude  of  75°  40',  which  anew  revived  our  hope  of  a 
passage;  and  because  the  wind  was  contrary,  we  stood  off 
twenty  leagues  from  the  shore  before  we  met  the  ice;  then 
standing  in  again ;  when  we  were  near  the  land,  we  let  fall 
an  anchor  to  see  what  tide  went,  but  in  that  we  found  small 
comfort.  Shortly  after  the  wind  came  to  the  southeast,  and 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE 


491 


blew  very  hard,  with  foul  weather,  thick  and  foggy;  then 
we  set  sail,  and  ran  along  by  the  land;  this  was  on  the 
second  day,  at  night.  The  next  morning  we  passed  by  a 
fair  cape  or  headland,  which  we  called  Sir  Dudley  Digges 
Cape;  it  is  in  the  latitude  of  76°  35',  and  hath  a  small 
island  close  adjoining  to  it;  the  wind  still  increasing,  we 
passed  by  a  fair  sound  twelve  leagues  distant  from  the 
former  cape,  having  an  island  in  the  midst,  which  maketh 
two  entrances.  Under  this  island  we  came  to  anchor,  and 
had  not  rid  past  two  hours  but  our  ship  drove,  although 
we  had  two  anchors  at  the  ground ;  then  were  we  forced  to 
set  sail  and  stand  forth.  This  sound  we  called  Wosten- 
holme  Sound;  it  hath  many  inlets  or  smaller  sounds  in  it, 
and  is  a  fit  place  for  the  killing  of  whales.  .  .  . 

"  In  this  sound  we  saw  great  numbers  of  whales,  there 
fore  we  called  it  Whale  Sound,  and  doubtless,  if  we  had 
been  provided  for  killing  of  them,  we  might  have  struck 
very  many.  It  lieth  in  the  latitude  77°  30'.  All  the  fifth 
day  it  was  very  fair  weather,  and  we  kept  along  by  the  land 
till  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  by  which  time  we  were 
come  to  a  great  bank  of  ice,  it  being  backed  with  land, 
which  we  seeing,  determined  to  stand  back  some  eight 
leagues  to  an  island  we  called  Hakluyt's  Isle — it  lieth 
between  two  great  sounds,  the  one  Whale  Sound,  and  the 
other  Sir  Thomas  Smith's  Sound;  .  .  .  The  next  day 
we  were  forced  to  set  sail,  the  sea  was  grown  so  high, 
and  the  wind  came  more  outward.  Two  days  we  spent  and 
could  get  no  good  place  to  anchor  in;  then,  on  the  eighth 
day  it  cleared  up,  and  we  seeing  a  company  of  islands  lie 
off  from  the  shore  twelve  or  thirteen  leagues,  we  minded  to 
go  to  them  to  see  if  there  we  could  anchor.  When  we  were 
something  near,  the  wind  took  us  short,  and  being  loth  to 
spend  more  time,  we  took  opportunity  of  the  wind,  and  left 
the  searching  of  these  islands,  which  we  called  Gary's  Islands, 
all  which  sounds  and  islands  the  map  doth  truly  describe. 

"So  we  stood  to  the  westward  in  an  open  sea,  with  a 
stiff  gale  of  wind,  all  the  next  day  and  till  the  tenth  day  at 


492 


DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 


one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  which  time  it  fell 
calm  and  very  foggy,  and  we  near  the  land  in  the  entrance 
of  a  fair  sound,  which  we  called  Alderman  Jones's  Sound. 
This  afternoon,  being  fair  and  clear,  we  sent  our  boat  to 
the  shore,  the  ship  being  under  sail,  and,  as  soon  as  they 
were  on  shore,  the  wind  began  to  blow;  then  they  returned 
again,  declaring  that  they  saw  many  sea  morses  by  the  shore 
among  the  ice,  and  as  far  as  they  were  they  saw  no  sign  of 
people,  nor  any  good  place  to  anchor  in  along  the  shore. 
Then  having  an  easy  gale  of  wind  at  east-northeast,  we 
ran  along  by  the  shore,  which  now  trendeth  much  south, 
and  beginneth  to  show  like  a  bay. 

"  On  the  twelfth  day  we  were  open  of  another  great 
sound,  lying  in  the  latitude  of  74°  2Or,  and  we  called  it  Sir 
James  Lancaster's  Sound;  here  our  hope  of  passage  began 
to  be  less  every  day  than  other,  for  from  this  sound  to  the 
southward  we  had  a  ledge  of  ice  between  the  shore  and  us, 
but  clear  to  the  seaward,  we  kept  close  by  this  ledge  of  ice 
till  the  fourteenth  day  in  the  afternoon,  by  which  time  we 
were  in  the  latitude  of  71°  i6r,  and  plainly  perceived  the 
land  to  the  southward  of  70°  30';  then  we,  having  so  much 
ice  round  about  us,  were  forced  to  stand  more  eastward, 
supposing  to  have  been  soon  clear,  and  to  have  kept  on  the 
off  side  of  the  ice  until  we  had  come  into  70°,  then  to 
have  stood  in  again.  But  this  proved  quite  contrary  to  our 
expectation,  for  we  were  forced  to  run  about  threescore 
leagues  through  very  much  ice,  many  times  so  fast  that  we 
could  go  no  ways,  although  we  kept  our  course  due  east ;  and 
when  we  had  gotten  into  the  open  sea,  we  kept  so  near  the 
ice  that  many  times  we  had  much  ado  to  get  clear,  yet  could 
not  come  near  the  land  till  we  came  about  68°,  where  indeed 
we  saw  the  shore,  but  could  not  come  to  it  by  eight  or  nine 
leagues,  for  the  great  abundance  of  ice.  This  was  on  the  four 
and  twentieth  day  of  July ;  then  spent  we  three  days  more  to 
see  if  conveniently  we  could  come  to  anchor  to  make  trial 
of  the  tides;  but  the  ice  led  us  into  the  latitude  of  65°  40'. 
Then  we  left  off  seeking  to  the  west  shore,  because  we  were 


SEARCH  FOR  rHE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE 


493 


in  the  indraft  of  Cumberland  Isles,  and  should  know  no 
certainty,  and  hope  of  passage  could  be  none. 

"  Now  seeing  that  we  had  made  an  end  of  our  discovery, 
and  the  year  being  too  far  spent  to  go  for  the  bottom  of  the 
bay  to  search  for  dressed  fins ;  therefore  we  determined  to 
go  for  the  coast  of  Greenland,  to  see  if  we  could  get  some 
refreshing  for  our  men;  Master  Herbert  and  two  more 
having  kept  their  cabins  above  eight  days  (besides  our  cook, 
Richard  Waynam,  which  died  the  day  before,  being  the 
twenty-six  of  July),  and  divers  more  of  our  company  so 
weak,  that  they  could  do  but  little  labor.  So  the  wind 
favoring  us,  we  came  to  anchor  in  the  latitude  of  65°  45', 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  eighth  and  twentieth  day, 
in  a  place  called  Cockin  Sound. 

"  We  rode  in  this  place  three  days  before  any  of  the 
people  came  to  us;  then,  on  the  first  of  August,  six  of 
the  inhabitants  in  their  canoes  brought  us  salmon  peel,  and 
such  like,  which  was  a  great  refreshment  to  our  men  ;  the 
next  day  following,  the  same  six  came  again,  but  after  that 
we  saw  them  no  more  until  the  sixth  day,  when  we  had 
weighed  anchor,  and  were  almost  clear  of  the  harbor;  then 
the  same  six  and  one  more  brought  us  of  the  like  commodi 
ties,  for  which  we  gave  them  glass  beads,  counters,  and 
small  pieces  of  iron,  which  they  do  as  much  esteem  as  we 
Christians  do  gold  and  silver. 

"  In  this  sound  we  saw  such  great  schools  of  salmon 
swimming  to  and  fro  that  it  is  much  to  be  admired;  here 
it  floweth  about  eighteen  foot  water,  and  is  at  the  highest  on 
the  change  day  at  seven  o'clock:  it  is  a  very  good  harbor, 
and  easy  to  be  known,  having  three  round  high  hills  like 
pyramids  close  adjoining  to  the  mouth  of  it,  and  that  in  the 
midst  is  lowest,  and  along  all  this  coast  are  many  good 
harbors  to  be  found,  by  reason  that  so  many  islands  lie  ofF 
from  the  main.  .  .  ." 

The  story  of  the  discovery  and  exploration  of  North 
America  in  its  main  features  has  now  been  told ;  and  in 


494  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

point  of  time  we  are  on  the  threshold  of  the  period  of 
colonization,  when  new  communities  with  their  expanding 
energies  and  trading  instincts  were  to  thrust  their  outposts 
forward  into  the  interior  at  almost  every  point  and  carry 
the  work  of  exploration  onward.  Rich  is  the  legacy  of  dis 
covery  left  by  the  great  navigators  whose  expeditions  we 
have  traced  to  the  opening  years  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  error  of  early  geographers  as  to  the  nearness  of  Asia  to 
Europe,  and  consequently  as  to  the  size  of  the  globe,  had 
been  established;  the  extent  and  boundaries  of  the  great 
continent  that  had  blocked  the  way  of  the  early  voyagers 
to  rich  Cathay  and  the  Spice  Islands  had  been  in  general 
determined ;  Verrazano's  theory,  tenaciously  held  for  nearly 
a  century,  of  a  great  western  sea  stretching  toward  the  north 
Atlantic  seaboard  about  midway  on  the  coast  had  been  prac 
tically  abandoned;  and  Mercator  had  prefigured  the  exist 
ence  of  the  great  interior  valleys,  though  he  was  later  proved 
to  have  erred  in  his  assumption  that  St.  Lawrence  and  Mis 
sissippi  Rivers  had  no  divide. 

At  this  moment,  the  nations  whose  navigators  had  won 
from  the  unknown  the  New  World  had  secured  but  an 
inconsiderable  foothold  on  its  northern  portion.  Colonies 
had  indeed  been  planted  at  various  places,  such  as  those  of 
La  Roche  at  Sable  Island,  of  Roberval  at  Cap  Rouge, 
of  Raleigh  at  Roanoke,  of  the  Huguenots  under  Ribault 
and  Laudonniere  at  Port  Royal  Sound  and  on  St.  John's 
River,  and  of  Menendez  at  St.  Augustine;  but  all  these 
had  ended  in  disaster,  as  we  have  seen.  The  early  adven 
turers  were  not  men  adapted  to  a  persevering  struggle  to 
wrest  by  patient  toil  the  gifts  of  nature.  They  had  been 
mainly  animated  by  the  lust  of  gold  and  riches  and  the  ac 
quisition  of  glory.  Hence,  it  may  be  asserted  that  the  main 
fruits  of  the  expeditions  thus  far  had  been  the  attainment 
of  geographical  knowledge  and  an  empty  dominion  rather 
than  territorial  possessions  and  extended  commerce.  Spain 
had,  it  is  true,  acquired  great  wealth  and  mighty,  if  insecure, 
power  through  her  conquests  in  Mexico  and  South  America, 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          495 

but  her  pretensions  had  aroused  the  European  nations  to 
the  dangers  of  her  aggrandizement,  and  with  the  destruction 
of  her  "Invincible  Armada"  her  maritime  power  had  been 
forever  crippled.  England  and  France  particularly  had 
awakened  to  the  importance  of  the  western  discoveries, 
and  were  actively  engaged  in  adopting  measures  to  secure 
the  advantages  of  crowding  within  the  opened  portals  of  the 
New  World. 

It  may  be  convenient  here  to  summarize  briefly  the  work 
accomplished  through  the  expeditions  we  have  traced,  which 
antedate  the  true  colonization  period,  with  the  exception  of 
those  of  Champlain,  Joliet  and  Marquette,  and  La  Salle,  the 
importance  of  which  in  the  exploration  of  the  St.  Law 
rence  and  the  lake  system  in  its  region,  and  of  the  course 
and  outflow  of  the  Mississippi,  gives  them  rank  as  capital 
expeditions. 

The  Atlantic  shore  of  North  America  was  first  visited  by 
the  Norsemen  about  the  close  of  the  tenth  century,  their 
ships  most  probably  reaching  Newfoundland,  Nova  Scotia, 
and  New  England. 

Cabot,  in  1497,  reached  the  coasts  of  Labrador  and  New 
foundland.  In  1498,  the  Cabots  revisited  the  shores  of 
Labrador  and,  according  to  the  evidences  of  La  Cosa's 
map,  sailed  as  far  south  as  Florida. 

Vespucci  claimed  to  have  sailed  along  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  past  the  coast  of  Florida,  and  northward  to  Chesa 
peake  Bay  in  1497,  but  tne  evidence  is  strongly  in  favor 
of  this  claim  being  false  and  that  his  voyage  was  undertaken 
with  Hojeda  in  1499. 

The  Cortereals  reached  the  coasts  of  Labrador  and  New 
foundland  in  1500  and  1501,  and  sailed  to  the  entrance  of 
Hudson  Strait. 

Ponce  de  Leon  sailed  from  Porto  Rico  to  Florida  in 
1513;  he  first  touched  near  the  site  of  the  present  St.  Augus 
tine,  then  sailed  south  around  the  peninsula  to  Tampa  Bay. 
In  1521,  he  again  landed  on  the  coast  of  Florida,  intending 
to  form  a  settlement  there,  but  failed. 


496  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Gordillo  landed,  in  1521,  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina, 
in  charge  of  an  exploring  expedition  sent  by  De  Ayllon. 

Verrazano,  in  1524,  reached  the  Atlantic  coast  near  Cape 
Hatteras,  sailed  southward  for  some  distance,  then  coasted 
northward,  entered  New  York  and  Newport  harbors,  and 
finally,  after  sailing  along  the  New  England  shores,  he 
reached  Nova  Scotia. 

Estevan  Gomez  visited  the  Atlantic  coast  in  1525, 
and  it  appears  almost  certain  that  he  entered  New  York 
Bay. 

De  Ayllon  reached  Chesapeake  Bay  in  1526,  and  at 
tempted  to  settle  a  colony  of  Spaniards  at  or  near  the  site 
of  the  present  Jamestown,  Virginia. 

Jacques  Cartier  sailed  through  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle 
in  1534,  and  explored  the  southern  coast  of  Labrador.  In 
1535,  he  sailed  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  up  the 
river  past  the  heights  on  which  Quebec  stands,  and  on  to 
the  point  where  Montreal  now  lies. 

Jean  Ribault,  with  a  colony  of  Huguenots,  entered  the 
river  May  (St.  John's  River),  Florida,  in  1562;  then  coast 
ing  northward,  he  landed  the  colonists  at  Port  Royal  Sound, 
Carolina. 

Rene  de  Laudonniere,  in  1564,  reached  Port  Royal  Sound, 
intending  to  occupy  the  country;  he  sailed  southward  to 
St.  John's  River,  Florida. 

Hawkins,  in  1565,  on  his  return  from  the  West  Indies 
deviated  from  his  course  and  sailed  to  St.  John's  River, 
where  he  succored  the  distressed  Huguenot  colony. 

Menendez  de  Aviles  entered  the  mouth  of  St.  John's 
River,  Florida,  in  1565,  on  an  expedition  to  destroy  the 
Huguenot  colony.  He  then  sailed  south  to  St.  Augustine, 
of  which  he  took  formal  possession. 

Raleigh  sent  an  expedition  under  Amadas  and  Barlow  in 
1584,  with  the  view  of  establishing  a  colony,  which  resulted 
in  the  discovery  of  Pamlico  Sound  and  the  exploration  of 
Roanoke  and  other  islands.  In  1585,  a  second  expedition, 
under  Grenville,  left  a  settlement  on  Roanoke  Island;  in 


Geoige  Vancouver.     After  the  painting  !,v  Lemuel  F.  Abbott,  no-iv  in  the 
National  Portrait  Gtiller\,   I.onJon. 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTH^ESr  PASSAGE          497 

1587,  Raleigh  sent  out  a  further  body  of  colonists  to  settle  in 
Chesapeake  Bay,  but  they  were  landed  on  Roanoke  Island. 

The  Pacific  coast  of  North  America  was  first  made 
known  by  the  adventure  of  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  who, 
while  on  an  expedition  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  first 
heard  from  an  Indian  chief  of  the  existence  of  a  great  sea 
beyond  the  mountains.  In  1513  he  beheld  the  waters  of 
the  Pacific  from  the  crest  of  the  Cordilleras;  shortly  after, 
he  descended  to  the  shore,  and,  entering  the  sea  (la  Mar  del 
Sur),  took  possession  in  the  name  of  the  Kings  of  Castile. 

Drake,  in  his  voyage  around  the  world,  entered  the  Pa 
cific  through  the  Strait  of  Magellan  in  1578;  and  sailing 
northward,  after  calling  at  various  places  to  plunder  Spanish 
ships,  he  reached  a  point  where  the  cold  and  ice  compelled 
him  to  turn  south,  and  he  put  into  a  bay  of  California  to 
refit.  Here  he  landed  and  took  formal  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  name  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  named  the 
land  New  Albion.  The  exact  place  of  his  landing  is  un 
certain,  but  it  was  not  far  from  the  Golden  Gate. 

Of  the  insular  discoveries  and  explorations  of  North 
America,  the  first  is  that  of  Columbus  in  1492,  when  he 
sighted  the  island  of  Guanahani  (most  probably  that  now 
known  as  Wading),  one  of  the  Bahamas  group;  on  the  same 
voyage  he  discovered  and  explored  the  north  coast  of  Cuba, 
and  discovered  Santo  Domingo  (Espanola).  In  1494,  he  ex 
plored  the  south  coast  of  Cuba  and  discovered  Jamaica.  On 
his  later  voyages  he  discovered  the  island  of  Trinidad. 

Cabot,  in  1497,  discovered  Newfoundland  and,  probably, 
Cape  Breton  Island. 

Sebastian  de  Ocampo,  in  1508,  sailed  around  the  western 
end  of  Cuba,  and  thus  dissipated  the  belief,  cherished  by 
Columbus  till  his  death,  that  this  island  was  part  of  the 
mainland  of  Asia. 

Jacques  Cartier  visited  Newfoundland  in  1534,  sighted 
Anticosti,  which  he  thought  to  lie  in  the  great  waterway 
leading  to  the  much-desired  Cathay,  and  discovered  Isle  de 
St.  Jean  (Prince  Edward  Island). 


498  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Humphrey  Gilbert,  in  1583,  reached  Newfoundland, 
where  he  intended  to  settle  a  colony;  he  took  possession 
in  the  name  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  but  his  colony  was  a 
failure. 

The  interior  exploration  of  North  America  began,  in 
1519,  with  the  landing  of  Cortes  at  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico, 
whence  he  pursued  his  march  to  the  City  of  Mexico  and 
finally  conquered  the  country  and  ruled  it  as  New  Spain. 

De  Narvaez,  in  1528,  sailed  to  Florida  and  probably 
landed  at  Tampa  Bay;  thence,  going  into  the  interior,  he 
marched  as  far  as  the  present  Alabama.  After  much  distress 
he  again  reached  the  coast.  De  Narvaez  was  lost  at  sea, 
but  one  of  his  companions,  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  crossed  the 
continent  after  eight  years'  wanderings  and  reached  New 
Spain.  In  his  journeying  he  had  crossed  the  lower  Missis 
sippi,  and  had  both  suffered  the  severest  hardships  and  re 
ceived  the  greatest  honors  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  He 
had  met  with  the  buffalo  and  heard  of  the  "Seven  Cities 
of  Cibola." 

Hernando  de  Soto,  in  1539,  landed  at  Tampa  Bay,  and 
set  out  to  explore  the  country  which  he  was  to  settle  as 
Governor  of  Florida.  Though  there  is  some  uncertainty 
as  to  his  travels,  during  three  years  he  marched  along  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  reaching  to  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  southern  limits  of  the  present  State 
of  Virginia;  then  crossing  the  range,  he  travelled  west  and 
south  to  Mobile  Bay;  turning,  and  going  north  and  west,  he 
reached  a  point  near  the  present  Vicksburg,  where  he  crossed 
the  Mississippi  in  1541.  Northward  to  near  the  Missouri 
he  pushed,  then  again  south  to  the  junction  of  Red  River 
and  the  Mississippi,  where  he  died.  The  survivors,  under 
Moscoso,  descended  the  river,  and,  coasting  along  Texas, 
reached  New  Spain.  Some  of  the  party  are,  however,  be 
lieved  to  have  reached  a  westward  point  interior,  near  the 
line  of  Coronado's  return  march,  as  an  Indian  woman  who 
had  escaped  from  Coronado's  expedition  was  found  by 
De  Soto's  men  a  few  days  after  her  flight. 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE 


499 


Coronado,  in  1540,  led  an  expedition  from  Mexico  to 
the  Pueblo  country  in  search  of  the  "Seven  Cities  of 
Cibola,"  of  whose  wealth  the  Spaniards  had  been  repeatedly 
told.  Further  and  further  north  the  adventurer  pushed  in 
pursuit  of  the  phantom  cities,  across  the  desert  and  wild 
prairies,  till  with  much-thinned  ranks  his  party  probably 
reached  a  point  somewhere  about  the  southern  limits  of 
Nebraska,  and,  retracing  his  homeward  course,  returned 
from  his  bootless  search  in  1542. 

The  Gulf  of  Mexico  was  coasted  in  1517  by  Cordova, 
who,  while  engaged  in  a  slaving  cruise,  was  driven  out  of 
his  course  into  the  Gulf  and  reached  the  coast  of  Yucatan. 
He  was  followed  in  1518  by  Grijalva,  who  extended  his 
exploration  northward  along  the  coast  of  Mexico.  To  him 
succeeded  Cortes  in  1519. 

Alonzo  de  Pineda,  in  1519,  explored  a  considerable  ex 
tent  of  the  north  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  finally 
reaching  a  point  near  Panuco  River. 

Moscoso,  after  the  death  of  his  leader,  De  Soto,  coasted 
along  the  northern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  reached 
the  coast  of  Mexico  in  1543. 

As  we  have  seen,  Ponce  de  Leon,  De  Narvaez,  and 
De  Soto  also  sailed  along  parts  of  the  Gulf  coast. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  recorded  expeditions,  at  the  period 
we  have  named,  had  discovered  the  whole  Atlantic  coast  of 
North  America;  the  northern  shores  lying  about  Hudson  Bay; 
the  western  seaboard  through  almost  its  entire  length;  the 
coasts  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  in  their  southern  and  western 
extent  and  a  large  part  of  their  northern;  the  chief  islands  of 
the  West  Indies,  and  the  islands  within  the  limits  of  the  east 
coast  of  North  America.  The  confines  of  the  continent  on 
the  northwest  were  still  terra  incognita,  and  the  northernmost 
point  of  the  mainland  had  yet  to  be  determined.  By  the  dis 
covery  of  the  great  waterways  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Mississippi,  the  interior  physical  characteristics  were  in  large 
part  determined  and  the  way  opened  for  that  unexampled 
development  which  the  history  of  the  New  World  exhibits. 


500  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Cathay  and  the  Spice  Islands,  whose  attempted  approach 
by  the  west  had  given  to  the  civilized  world  the  unlooked- 
for  habitable  continent,  paled  in  interest  beside  the  brilliant 
and  limitless  field  of  enterprise  offered  by  the  New  World ; 
and  while  the  search  for  the  northwest  passage  was  inter 
mittently  prosecuted  for  nearly  four  centuries  till  success 
crowned  the  endeavors,  it  was  rather  for  the  solution  of  a 
great  geographical  problem  as  full  of  interest  as  peril  than 
for  the  practical  value  of  the  finding.  The  course  to  the 
Orient  by  the  eastern  route,  traced  by  Vasco  da  Gama  in 
1497,  by  way  of  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  his  voyage  to  the 
western  coast  of  India,  continued  to  be  the  highway  of 
European  maritime  commerce  with  Asia.  Magalhaes  had 
found  the  western  route  to  Asia  in  1520  by  way  of  Cape 
Horn,  though  he  had  failed  to  find  the  passage  he  had 
looked  for  which  he  seems  to  have  expected  to  discover  in 
the  region  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  By  this  voyage  the  south 
ern  limits  of  the  American  continent  were  first  determined. 

The  prize  of  possession  of  the  New  World  early  brought 
about  rivalry  and  conflict  between  France  and  England ;  the 
former  claimed  title  through  the  discoveries  of  Verrazano 
and  the  latter  through  those  of  the  Cabots.  As  early  as 
1613,  the  French  settlers  were  in  conflict  with  the  English. 

With  the  arrival  of  Champlain,  France  began  actively  to 
thrust  forward  her  trading  outposts  and  missionary  centres 
further  and  further  into  the  unknown  land,  till  the  region 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  its  lake  system  was  dominated  by 
her,  and  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  valleys  had  come  within 
the  sphere  of  her  active  influence.  This  influence  was 
largely  built  on  the  friendship  established  by  the  French 
traders  with  the  Indians,  and  not  on  illusory  titles  such  as 
the  French  commandant  Celoron  at  a  later  period  of  French 
occupancy  set  up  by  the  plates  he  buried  along  Ohio  River, 
declaring  the  river  and  the  lands  adjacent  the  possession 
of  the  French  king,  or  by  such  theatrical  possessory  cere 
monies  as  that  of  Saint-Lusson  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  the 
name  of  his  sovereign.  The  final  struggle  and  the  overthrow 


SEARCH  FOR  THE  NORTHWEST  PASSAGE          501 

of  French  dominion  in  North  America  was  to  be  postponed 
till  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

As  the  discovery  of  the  continent  of  North  America 
resulted  from  the  attempt  to  find  a  western  waterway  to 
the  East,  so  the  discovery  of  the  lost  links  in  its  coast  line 
resulted  from  similar  endeavors.  In  1728,  Captain  Vitus 
Bering,  in  the  service  of  Russia,  attacked  the  problem  of 
the  seaway  to  the  north  of  the  continent  from  the  Pacific 
side.  After  exploring  the  coast  of  Kamchatka,  he  proceeded 
northward  until  he  discovered  the  strait  that  bears  his  name, 
exploring  the  coast  to  latitude  69°  N.;  thus  he  defined  the 
extreme  northwestern  confine  of  the  continent.  Captain 
Cook,  in  1778,  explored  the  Pacific  coast  and  Bering  Strait 
on  both  sides  in  his  quest  of  a  passage  round  the  north  of 
the  continent  from  the  Pacific  Ocean.  With  Cook  was 
Vancouver,  who  in  1791  continued  the  Pacific  explorations, 
during  which  he  examined  the  coasts  of  Vancouver  Island 
and  the  mainland  coasts  adjacent.  The  western  coast  of 
North  America  had  by  this  time  yielded  up  its  chief  secrets 
to  the  indefatigable  navigators;  the  northern  outlet  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean  had  been  oversailed,  and  the  great  Arctic 
Ocean  entered ;  and  gradually,  by  dint  of  the  courage  and 
tenacious  perseverance  which  glorifies  the  history  of  this 
quest,  the  extremities  of  discovery  were  approximating. 

In  1819,  Lieutenant  Parry  penetrated  to  Melville  Sound, 
and  three  years  later  Sir  John  Franklin  and  others,  starting 
from  the  west  coast  of  Hudson  Bay,  travelled  by  way  of 
Great  Slave  Lake  and  Coppermine  River  to  Coronation 
Gulf.  This  brought  them  into  the  Arctic  Ocean  from  the 
west.  In  1829,  Sir  John  Ross  discovered  Boothia  Felix, 
thus  determining  the  northernmost  point  of  the  continent, 
in  latitude  72°  N.  In  1845,  Franklin  was  again  at  the 
head  of  an  expedition,  sent  out  by  the  British  Admiralty,  in 
further  quest  of  the  baffling  northwest  passage;  not  return 
ing,  a  new  stimulus  was  given  to  northern  exploration  in 
the  endeavor  to  ascertain  his  fate.  An  expedition  with  this 
purpose  in  view  was  sent  out  from  England  in  1850,  under 


502  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

Captain  MacClure.  He  passed  through  Bering  Strait,  and 
then  sailed  eastward  on  the  Arctic  Ocean,  between  Banks 
Land  and  Prince  Albert  Land,  until,  at  a  point  within 
twenty-five  miles  of  Melville  Sound,  he  was  obliged  to 
abandon  his  ship.  He  was  rescued  by  Captains  McClintock 
and  Kellett  near  Melville  Island.  Thus,  though  it  was  not 
navigated,  the  existence  of  a  northwest  passage  was  proved, 
and  the  great  problem  which  had  exercised  the  minds  of 
navigators  since  the  days  of  John  Cabot  was  solved. 

The  quest  of  a  way  to  Cathay  perilously  groped  across 
the  unknown  waste  of  the  Atlantic  in  1492 — the  familiar 
coasting  of  the  shores  of  a  vast  continent ;  such  are  the  ex 
tremes  of  our  story  of  the  discovery  and  exploration  of  North 
America.  Between  them,  little  more  than  a  century  in 
point  of  years,  the  misconceptions  of  early  geographers  had 
been  disclosed  by  the  revelation  of  the  New  World;  a 
changed  direction  had  been  given  to  Old  World  ambition  ; 
and  a  rich  field  of  enterprise  opened  that  stimulated  the 
keenest  rivalry  and  promised  to  employ  the  best  energies 
of  European  nations. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   TABLE 

DATE  PAGE 

458.     Buddhist    priests   alleged  to  have   discovered 

the  Pacific  coast 12 

500—600.     St.  Maclou  and  St.  Brandan  reputed  to 

have  visited  America 10 

874.    Norsemen  settled  in  Iceland 15 

876.'  Greenland  discovered 16 

985—1007.    Norsemen  settled  in  Greenland  and  dis 
covered  America 1 7—36 

1169.    Legendary  account  of  Prince  Madoc's  flight 

to  America 1 1 

1492.  Columbus  set  sail  from  Saltes 88 

Guanahani  (Watling  Island)  discovered    .      .  102 

Cuba  discovered 125 

Espanola  (Haiti)  discovered 158 

1493.  Spanish  settlement  left  at  La  Navidad,  Espa 

nola  ...  201 

Columbus  reached  Saltes 239 

Bull  of  Pope  Alexander  VI.  issued,  granting 

most  of  American  continent  to  Spain  .  244 
Columbus  sailed  from  Cadiz  on  his  second 

voyage 249 

Burenquen  (Porto  Rico)  discovered  .  .  .  250 

Town  of  Isabella  founded  at  Espanola  .  .  251 

1494.  Jamaica  discovered 253 

Natives    of    Espanola    shipped    as    slaves    to 

Spain 255 

1496.     Columbus  sailed  from  Espanola  tor  Spain      .  255 


504  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

DATE  PAGE 

1497.  Cabot  sailed  from  Bristol  in  search  of  a  west 

ern  way  to  the  Orient 301 

Mainland  of  America  discovered  by  John 

Cabot 295 

India  reached  by  Vasco  da  Gama  by  way  of 

Cape  of  Good  Hope 310 

Vespucci  reputed  to  have  sailed  from  Cadiz 

to  the  west 278 

1498.  Columbus   sailed  on  his  third  voyage  to  the 

west 256 

Trinidad  discovered 256 

Columbus  first  sighted  mainland  of  American 

continent 256 

Columbus  returned  to  Spain  in  chains  .  .  257 
1498-1499.  The  Cabots  discovered  the  eastern 

coast   of  America   from   Newfoundland 

to  Florida 308 

1499.  Hojeda    sailed    from    Spain   for  western   dis 

coveries     283 

Hojeda  discovered  the  coast  .of  Surinam    .      .      283 

1500.  Gaspar  Cortereal  sailed  from  the  Azores  to 

discover  lands  in  the  west 311 

1502.     Columbus  sailed  on  his  fourth  voyage  to  the 

west 258 

1506.  Death  of  Columbus 273 

First  authentic  voyage  of  the  French  to  North 

America,  made  by  Jean  Denis     .      .      .      364 

1507.  America  first  named 294 

1513.     Ponce  de  Leon  landed  in  Florida    .      .      .      .      318 

1517.  Hernandez  de  Cordova  discovered  Yucatan  .      320 
Sebastian  Cabot  reached  the  entrance  to  Hud 
son  Bay 310 

1518.  Grijalva  explored  the  coasts  of  Yucatan  and 

Mexico 322 

1519.  Cortes  sailed  from  Cuba  to  explore  and  ac 

quire  Mexico 323 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  505 

DATE  PAGE 

1519.  Francisco    de   Garay    sent    an    expedition    to 

Florida  and  Mexico  under  Pineda     .      .      336 

1520.  Magalhaes    navigated    the  Atlantic    coast   of 

South  America  and,  rounding  Cape  Horn, 
entered  the  Pacific 342 

1521.  De  Ayllon's  expedition  landed  on  the  North 

Carolina  coast 340 

Magalhaes  discovered  the  Philippine  Islands  .      343 

1524.    Verrazano   explored   the   eastern   coast   from 

the  Carolinas  to  Maine 384 

1527.  Narvaez  led  a  colonizing  expedition  to  Flor 
ida  344 

1534,  1535.  Jacques  Cartier  explored  the  coast  of 
Newfoundland  and  the  Gulf  and  River 
St.  Lawrence 388 

1538.     Hernando  de  Soto  landed  in  Florida  with  his 

colonizing  expedition 348 

1541.  French  colonization  of  Canada  undertaken    .     408 

1542.  Juan   Cabrillo   explored    the    coast    of  upper 

California 439 

1562.  Huguenot  colony  founded  in  Florida  .  .  .  436 
1565.  Menendez  destroyed  the  French  colony  at 

Fort  Caroline 437 

1576,  1577.  Frobisher  led  expeditions  in  search  of 

a  northwest  passage  to  Cathay  .  .  475—480 
1579.  Sir  Francis  Drake  landed  on  Pacific  coast  and 

formally  acquired  territory  for  England  .      441 

1583.  Humphrey  Gilbert  landed  a  colonizing  party 

on  Newfoundland 444 

1584.  Raleigh's  expedition  reached  Virginia  .      .      .     451 

1585.  1586,  1587.     Davis    made    three    voyages    in 

quest  of  a  northwest  passage  .      .      .  480—482 

1602.  \Veymouth  undertook  an   expedition   to   dis 

cover  a  northwest  passage       ....      483 

1603.  Champlain  began  his  explorations  in  Canada  .      411 
1607.     English  settlement  established  at  Jamestown  .      458 


5o6  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

DATE  PAGE 

1609.  Hudson  explored  Hudson  River      ....     466 

1610.  Hudson,  in  quest  of  a  northwest  passage,  dis 

covered  the  strait  and  bay  named  after 

him 483 

1614.  New  England  extensively  explored  by  John 

Smith 460 

1616.  Baffin  discovered  the  bay  named  after  him, 

while  seeking  a  northwest  passage  .  .  488 
1673.  Joliet  and  Marquette  discovered  and  explored 

the  Mississippi  from  the  north  .  .  .  417 
1682.  La  Salle  discovered  the  mouth  of  the  Missis 
sippi 427 

1728.  Bering  discovered  the  strait  of  that  name  .  501 
1778.  Cook  explored  the  Pacific  coast  and  Bering 

Strait 501 

1791.  Vancouver  explored  the  Pacific  coast  .  .  .  501 
1819.  Lieutenant  Parry  reached  Melville  Sound  .  501 
1822.  Sir  John  Franklin  reached  the  Arctic  from 

the  west 501 

1829.  Sir  John  Ross  discovered  the  northernmost 

limit  of  the  continent 501 

1845.  Sir  John  Franklin  sailed  on  his  fatal  voyage 

to  the  Arctic  Ocean 501 

1850.  Expedition  led  by  MacClure  demonstrated 

the  existence  of  a  northwest  passage      .     502 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

VOLUME    I 

FACING  PAGE 

Christopher  Columbus.     After  the  painting  by  an  unknown  artist. 

Now  in  the  Museo  Naval  at  Madrid title 

That  part  of  New  England  supposed  to  have  been  Vinland,  with 
the  Norse  names  of  such  places  as  accord  with  the  descriptions 
in  the  Sagas.  After  the  map  issued  by  the  Hakluyt  Society  .  i  j 

Prince  Henry  of  Portugal,  surnamed  "The  Navigator.'11  After 
the  miniature  in  the  Chronicle  of  the  Discovery  and  Conquest 
of  Guinea  by  Gomes  Eames  de  Azurara,  begun  in  1448  and 
completed  in  1453.  No-iv  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris  49 

Track  of  Columbus' s  movements  during  his  first  voyage  after  the 
landfall  until  he  started  on  the  return  voyage.  Prepared  in 
accordance  with  the  data  given  in  the  original  log,  by  Cap 
tain  G.  V,  Fox,  U.  S.  N. ,  former  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Navy 97 

Royal  letters  patent  issued  by  the  Catholic  kings  granting  Colum 
bus,  as  Admiral  of  the  Indies,  the  same  rights  and  privileges 
as  the  Admiral  of  Castile.  From  the  original  in  possession 
of  the  Duke  of  Veragua 113 

The  commission  given  to  Columbus  creating  him  Admiral  of  the 

Indies.    From  the  original  in  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Veragua.       128 

Gore-map  showing  the  track  of  Magellan's  circumnavigation  of 
the  world.  From  the  unique  original  in  the  Nevu  York 
Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch 217 

Frontispiece  of  the  earliest  known  edition  of  Dati's  metrical  ver 
sion  of  Columbus' s  letter  dated  June  15,  1493.  From  the 
unique  original  in  the  Biblioteca  Columbina  in  Seville  .  .  225 

Title-page  of  the  Rela^am  Verdadeira,  printed  at  Evora  in  Portu 
gal,  1557,  giving  the  first  accoimt  of  De  Soto's  discovery 
and  exploration  of  Florida.  From  the  excessively  rare  origi 
nal  in  the  Nevj  York  Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch  .  .  240 

507 


508  DISCOVERT  AND  EXPLORATION 

FACING  PAGE 

Pages  from  Eximie  Devotionis,  the  Papal  Bull  of  Alexander  VI., 
dated  May  3,  1493.  This  document  is  considered  the 
starting  point  of  the  diplomatic  history  of  America.  From 
the  Vatican  Archives 273 

Autograph  letter  of  Amerigo  Vespucci,  dated  51511.      From  the 

original,  now  in  possession  of  the  Newberryl  Library,  Chicago     305 

Title-page  of  the  original  account  of  the  four  voyages  of  Vespu- 
cius.  After  the  original  in  the  collection  of  the  late  Bernard 
Quaritch 320 

Page  from  Martin  Waldseem tiller's  Cosmographite  Introductio, 
published  in  May,  1507,  showing  the  passage  which  first 
suggested  calling  the  New  World  by  the  name  America. 
From  the  original  in  the  New  York  Public  Library,  Lenox 
Branch 337 

Sebastian  Cabot.  From  the  painting  by  Chapman  after  the 
original  attributed  to  Holbein.  Nociv  in  possession  of  the 
Historical  Society  of  Massachusetts 352 

Title-page  of  the  first  printed  account  of  Hennepin's  discoveries 
in  America,  issued  in  Paris,  1683.  From  the  original  in 
the  New  York  Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch  .  .  .  .  369 

Type  of  lead  plate  buried  by  the  French  explorers.      From  the 

original  in  possession  of  the  Virginia  Historical  Society   .      .      384 

Portraits  of  Martin  Frobisher  and  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  from 
the  copperplates  in  Holland's  Heruologia  Anglica.  After  the 
original  in  the  New  York  Public  Library,  Lenox  Branch  .  401 

Sir  Francis  Drake.  From  the  copperplate  in  Holland's  Heruologia 
Anglica.  After  the  original  in  the  New  York  Public  Library, 
Lenox  Branch 4J6 

Map  showing  discoveries  of  Henry  Hudson  in  the  north  in  1612. 

From  the  original  copperplate  in  the  British  Museum      .      .      433 

Title-page  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  Revived,  published  in  1626. 
From  the  original  in  the  New  York  Public  Library,  Lenox 
Branch 449 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh.     From  the  original  painting  by  Zucharo,  now 

in  the  National  Portrait  Gallery,  London 4^4 

James  Cook.      After  the  painting  by  John  Webber,  now  in  the 

National  Portrait  Gallery,  London 4^i 

George  Vancouver.     After  the  painting  by  Lemuel  F.  Abbott,  now 

in  the  National  Portrait  Gallery,  London 49  6 


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